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I LAX  OF  SECOND  STORY. 


■RESIDENCE  OF  0.  S.  FOWI-EIi,  FISH  KILL, 


A 


HOME  FOE  ALL 


OR 

THE  GEAYEL  WALL 


#riaptt 


AND 


£ 


NEW,  CHEAP,  CONVENIENT,  SUPERIOR 


AND 

ADAPTED  TO  RICH  AND  POOR, 

SHOWING  THE  SUPERIORITY  OF  THIS  GR  VEL  CONCRETE  OYER  BRICK,  STONE,  AND  FRAME  HOUSfes  ; MANNER 
OF  MAKING  AND  DEPOSITING  IT  ; ITS  COST  ; OUTSIDE  FINISH  ; CLAY  HOUSES  ; DEFECTS  IN  SMALL,  LOW, 
LONG-WINGED,  AND  COTTAGE  HOUSES;  THE  GREATER  CAPACITY,  BEAUTY,  COMPACTNESS,  AND 
UTILITY  OF  OCTAGON  HOUSES;  DIFFERENT  PLANS;  THE  AUTHOR’S  RESIDENCE; 

GREEN  AND  ICE  HOUSES',  FILTERS  ; GROUNDS  ; SHRUBBERY  ; FRUITS,  AND 
THEIR  CULTURE  ; ROOFING  ; SCHOOL-HOUSES  AND  CHURCHES 
BARNS  AND  OUT  BUILDINGS  ; BOARD  AND  PLANK  WALLS; 

THE  WORKING-MAN’S  DWELLING,  ETC.,  ETC. 


BY  0.  S.  FOWLER, 

AUTHOR  OF  VARIOUS  WORKS  ON  PHRENOLOGY,  STEREOTYPED  EDITION  : REVISED  AN»  ENLAR9HB, 


" THERE'S  NO  PLACE  LI  KB  HOME." 


NEW  YORK: 

FOWLERS  & WELLS,  PUBLISHERS, 

Clinton  Hall,  131  Nassau  Street. 

1854. 


Boston  . 142  Washington  St.] 


[London  : 142  Strand. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1853,  by 
O.  S.  FOWLER, 

In  the  Clerk’s  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern  District 
, of  New  York. 


NEW  YORK  STEREOTYPE  ASSOCIATION, 

201  ■William  Street. 


PREFACE. 


To  cheapen  and  improve  human  homes,  and  especially  to  bring 
comfortable  dwellings  within  the  reach  of  the  poorer  classes,  is  the  object 
of  this  volume — an  object  of  the  highest  practical  utility  to  man.  It  delin- 
eates a new  mode  of  inclosing  public  edifices  and  private  residences,  far 
better,  every  way,  and  several  hundred  per  cent,  cheaper,  than  any  other  ; 
and  will  enable  the  poor  but  ingenious  man  to  erect  a comfortable  dwelling 
at  a trifling  cost,  and  almost  without  the  aid  or  cost,  as  now,  of  mechanics. 
Except  in  a single  particular,  and  this  he  has  greatly  improved,  this  mode 
is  the  invention  of  its  author,  and  occurred  thus.  Till  past  forty,  his  pro- 
fession engrossed  too  much  of  his  time  and  means  to  allow  him  to  procure 
a comfortable  home  ; yet  for  ten  years  he  has  been  making  observations,  in 
all  his  professional  peregrinations,  and  cogitating  by  months,  upon  the  best 
mode  of  building  the  home  of  his  future  years.  These  have  at  length 
brought  him  to  results,  now  reduced  to  practice.  Let  no  one  suppose  that 
he  has  forsaken,  or  even  turned  aside  from,  Phrenology — that  first  and  only 
occupation  of  his  enthusiastic  youth,  and  the  idol  of  his  matured  and  de- 
clining years.  He  has  turned  aside  only  to  build  him  a good  home,  and 
in  doing  so,  has  made  and  learned  improvements  to  adopt  which  will  greatly 
increase  home  comforts ; and  this  work  is  written  to  propagate  them, 
rather  tlian  as  a complete  architectural  production.  As  its  author  is  a 
phrenologist,  not  a builder,  it  may  lack  occasional  details  and  specifications, 
yet  will  give  every  thing  peculiar  to  this  mode  of  building.  Specifications 
respecting  doors,  floors,  windows,  etc.,  common  to  this  and  other  modes  of 
building,  can  be  learned  from  scientific  works  on  this  subject. 

The  octagon  form  and  the  gravel  wall  are  its  two  distinct  charac- 
teristics. The  form,  as  applied  to  domestic  residences,  is  wholly  orig- 


IV 


PREFACE. 


Inal  with  the  author,  ancl  the  latter  greatly  improved  upon,  and  at  the 
other  principles  and  suggestions  the  author  has  arrived  while  planning  and 
studying  out  his  own  house.  The  work  is  offered,  not  as  beyond  improve- 
ment, for  “ progress  is  a universal  law,”  but  to  apply  this  law  of  progress 
to  house-building.  Why  so  little  progress  in  architecture,  when  there  is 
so  much  in  all  other  matters  ? Why  continue  to  build  in  the  same  square 
form  of  all  past  ages  ? Is  no  radical  improvement  of  both  the  external  form 
and  internal  arrangement  of  private  residences,  as  well  as  building  mate- 
rial, possible  ? Let  this  work  answer 


5 


CONTENTS. 


SECTION  I. 

PRINCIPLES,  FACTS,  AND  COMMON-SENSE  SUGGESTIONS  ABOUT 
HOUSE-BUILDING. 

1.  Man’s  Requisition  for  a Home.  2.  Men’s  Habitations  correspond  with  their  Character- 
istics. 3.  The  Pleasures  of  Building.  4.  What  constitutes  a Perfect  Home Page  7 

SECTION  II. 

THE  GRAVEL-WALL  PLAN. 

5.  Nature’s  Building  Material.  6.  Wood  is  objectionable.  7.  Brick.  8.  The  Lime,  Gravel, 
and  Stone  Walls.  9.  Selection  of  the  Material.  10.  Lime,  its  Proportion  and  Mode  of 
Mixing.  11.  Placing  and  Working  the  Mortar-bed.  12.  Relative  Cost  of  the  Gravel- 
wall.  13.  Foundations.  14.  Mode  of  placing  the  Boards  for  Boxes.  15.  Scaffolding. 
16.  Width  of  Walls  and  their  Solidity.  17.  Door  and  Window  Frames.  18.  The  Top  of 
this  Wall.  19.  Temporary  Floors.  20.  Anchorage.  21.  Chimneys,  Ventilation,  Speak- 
ing-tubes, etc.  22.  Outside  and  Inside  Finish.  23.  Clay  and  Stone  Wall.  24.  Cost  of 
the  Gravel-wall.  25.  Quality  of  this  Gravel-wall.  26.  Vermin  excluded  from  Gravel- 
walls  16 

SECTION  III. 

DEFECTS  IN  THE  USUAL  SHAPES  OF  HOUSES. 

27.  High  and  low  Houses.  28.  Large  and  small  Houses.  29.  Number  of  Rooms  desirable. 
80.  Large  and  small  Barns  and  Out-houses.  31.  Long  and  narrow  Houses.  32.  The 
Winged  Style  is  doubly  objectionable.  33.  The  Cottage  or  Doric  Style.  34.  Additions 
stuck  on 56 


VI 


CONTENTS. 


SECTION  IV. 

SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 

85.  Its  contains  one-fifth  more  room  for  its  Wall.  36.  Comparative  Beauty  of  the  Doric, 
Square,  and  Octagon  Forms.  37.  Plan  of  an  Octagon  Basement — a Milk-room — Fur- 
nace—Wood-house — Large  Lumber-room.  38.  Comparison  of  a Double  Mansion  House 
with  a Twenty-seven  Feet  Octagon.  39.  Superb  arrangement  of  its  Rooms.  40.  Third 
Story  of  the  Octagon.  41.  Howland’s  Plan  of  an  Octagon  Cottage — Carpenter’s  Speci- 
fication— Mason’s  Specifications.  42.  Description  of  the  Author’s  Residence.  43.  The 
Main  or  Parlor  Story.  44.  Upper  Stories.  45.  Filtration.  46.  Piazzas.  47.  A Green- 
house and  Flower-pit.  48.  Shade  Trees,  Shrubbery,  Fruit  Trees,  etc. — Strawberries — 
Black  Raspberries — Red  Raspberries — Blackberries — Blue  and  Whortle  Berries — Cherries 
— Apricots — Plums — Peaches — Pears  and  Apples.  49.  Roof  and  Roofing — Roofing  Ma- 
terial— Glass  for  Roofing.  50.  The  Octagon  Form  and  Gravel-wall  applied  to  School- 
houses  and  Churches — Complete  Ventilation — Churches.  51.  General  Building  Direc- 
tions and  Advice — Mature  your  Plan  well— Get  all  Ready — Employ' good  Workmen— 
Consecrate  it  by  Affection Page  82 


SECTION*  V. 

OTHER  PLANS  FOR  PARTITIONING  AN  OCTAGON  HOUSE,  BARNS,  BOARD 
WALLS,  ETC. 

52.  A Superior  Plan.  53.  Cellar  Story.  54.  Stairs.  55.  Upper  Story.  56.  Barns.  57. 
Board  Wall.  58.  Cost.  59.  Plank  Wall.  60.  Poor  Man’s  Cottage.  61.  Associative 
Houses 160 


EXPLANATION. 


Small  raised  figures,  called  Superiors,  are  employed  for  reference  from  one  to  another  of 
those  numbered  headings  or  paragraphs  found  throughout  the  work. 


% Ipjjnu  fur 


SECTION  I. 

PRINCIPLES,  FACTS,  AND  COMMON-SENSE  SUGGESTIONS 
ABOUT  HOUSE-BUILDING. 

1.  man’s  requisition  for  a home. 

Evert  living  thing  must  have  its  habitation.  “Foxes  have 
holes,”  and  all  burrowing  animals  and  reptiles  excavate  domiciles 
in  which  to  shelter  themselves  from  the  merciless  blast  and  pierc- 
ing cold,  to  which  to  flee  from  danger,  and  in  which  to  rear  their 
young.  Ants,  bugs,  beetles,  crickets,  and  even  worms,  dig  them- 
selves holes  in  which  to  live  and  breed,  while  the  more  ingenious 
bee  builds  its  hexagonal  cells  in  which  to  multiply,  and  store  its 
winter  “ supplies.”  Bears  and  wolves  have  their  homes  in  hol- 
low trees  and  deep  caverns,  and  even  fish  weave  domiciles  out  of 
water  grasses,  or  deposit  their  spawn  in  crevices  among  the 
pebbles,  which  thereby  become  habitations  for  their  young. 
Fowls,  having  larger  constructiveness,  frame  their  domiciles  with 
twig-timbers,  mason  them  with  mud-mortar,  and  cushion  them 
with  hair  and  feather  mattresses,  and  there  live  together  in  bliss- 
ful love,  while  they  produce  and  rear  the  offspring  of  their  happy 
union.  Not  merely  all  animals,  but  also  every  tree  and  shrub 
appropriates  to  itself  land  for  a home  in  some  cleft  of  the  mount- 
ain crag,  or  on  the  rich  banks  of  some  stream,  there  to  send  forth 
their  roots,  and  build  up  their  cylindrical  walls  and  leafy  roof. 


8 


PRINCIPLES  OF  HOUSE-BUILDING. 


Even  every  seed,  every  kernel  of  grain,  has  its  own  chamber 
and  bed  in  its  paternal  homestead,  every  ear  of  corn  its  stalk- 
house  and  husk-walls,  and  each  fruit  and  nut  its  stem-abode,  till 
it  can  go  forth  in  search  of  a permanent  resting  place.  The  very 
hills  have  their  eternal  residences,  and  waters  their  ever-occupied 
abiding-places,  while  earth,  and  every  sister  planet,  and  celestial 
sphere,  each  traverses  his  own  pathway,  unmolested  by  foreign 
foot.  Thus,  every  living  thing,  aye,  every  herb,  stone,  and  thing 
in  nature,  grain  of  sand  included,  have  their  own  homes,  and  in 
turn  become  abodes  for  life,  enjoyment,  and  development. 

Nor  is  man  an  exception  to  this  great  home  law.  On  the  con- 
trary, is  he  not  its  most  perfect  exemplification  ? Endowed  with 
the  primitive  faculty  called  “ inhabitiveness,”  created  for  the  ex- 
press purpose  of  compelling  him  to  provide  an  abiding-place, 
which  shall  be  the  instrumentality  and  focus  of  most  of  life’s 
sweetest  pleasures ; he  can  no  more  help  craving  home  than  food 
or  friends,  and  absolutely  must  have  some  abiding-place  as  much 
as  breath  or  sleep.  Nor  should  any  quench  this  home  luxury, 
and  even  necessity,  but  let  all  provide  for  themselves  temporary 
or  permanent  residences,  as  much  as  with  food  or  clothes — only 
cloth  houses.  As  we  appropriate  considerable  time  to  procuring 
food  or  paying  board,  so  should  all  set  apart  as  much  time  to 
preparing  and  improving  our  homes,  and  “ furnishing”  them  with 
instrumentalities  of  comfort  and  luxury. 

Especially  ought  every  married  pair  to  secure  a permanent 
residence  for  themselves  and  children;  for,  without  it,  one  pow- 
erful mental  faculty  must  suffer  perpetual  abrasion,  and  many 
more,  diminished  and  interrupted  action  and  pleasure.  This 
“ moving”  is  ruinously  costly,  alike  destructive  of  property  and 
pleasure,  cripples  husbandry,  prevents  planting  trees  and  vines, 
and  obliges  tenants  to- frequent  the  grocery,  with  money  in  hand, 
for  a thousand  little  things  which,  if  land-owners,  they  would 
raise.  None  can  duly  appreciate  home,  till,  having  once  owned 
and  lost  one,  after  being  cast  upon  stone-hearted  landlords,  they 
repossess  themselves  of  a comfortable  domicile,  again  to  feast 
upon  the  products  of  their  own  gardens  and  orchards.  Father, 
mother,  whoever,  wherever  thou  art,  heed  this  important  advice — 
provide  a home  first — whatever  else  you  do,  or  leave  undone, 


man’s  requisition  for  a home. 


9 


and  however  stringent  your  poverty,  even  as  your  best  means  of 
escaping  it. 

Nor  should  any  be  content  with  a poor  home  only  till  they  can 
better  it,  but  provide  the  best  they  can.  Time  and  money  are 
wisely  spent,  which  add  to  the  real  solid  pleasures  of  home  and 
family.  All  of  us  shamefully  neglect  this  essential  point.  We 
carelessly  tolerate  evils  and  miseries  by  the  score  for  days  and 
years,  which  a few  hours  or  dollars  would  remove.  W e fail  to  give 
our  domiciles  their  due  proportion  of  our  time  and  hinds.  Those 
who  are  content  to  live  in  old  rookeries,  while  possessing  the 
means  to  build  mansions,  or  perhaps  erecting  “ houses  to  let,5’ 
have  sordid  souls,  and  rob  themselves  and  families  of  most  of 
life’s  joys,  while  those  who  build  better  barns  for  their  stock  than 
houses  for  their  children,  are  both  unwise  and  inhuman.  Reader, 
look  around  your  own  residence.  Rind  you  no  evil,  inconve- 
nience, or  nuisance — a smoky  chimney,  a poor  oven  or  cellar, 
perhaps  even  a rat-hole — which  a few  dollars,  cents,  or  hours 
would  suffice  to  obviate,  and  thus  remove  a perpetual  vexation, 
which  now  sours  naturally  sweet  tempers,  and  makes  every  thing 
in  the  house  and  out  of  it  go  cross-grained  1 Or  perceive  you  no 
improvement,  which  would  cost  but  little,  yet  be  a source  of 
perpetual  pleasure  for  life  ? A neighbor  remarked,  “ I put  up 
a dumb  waiter  for  030 — it  need  not  have  cost  010,  if  built  with 
the  house — which  saves  so  many  steps,  and  is  so  handy,  that  we 
would  not  do  without  it  for  0100  per  year.”  And  it  will  con- 
tinue, for  generations,  many  times  a day,  to  save  weary  steps, 
expedite  work,  and  bless  every  member  of  that  family.  In  what 
other  way  could  he  have  created  as  much  pleasure,  or  avoided  as 
much  unhappiness,  with  that  money  ? Apply  this  principle,  not 
merely  to  a good  house,  contrasted  with  a poor  one,  but  to  every 
iittle  improvement  you  have  added,  or  could  add,  to  your  home, 
and  then  consider  whether  a given  sum  spent  in  endowing  home 
with  little  conveniences  or  instrumentalities  of  comfort  or  luxury, 
could  be  invested  so  as  to  yield  as  great  an  income,  perhaps  per- 
ennial stream,  of  pleasure.  Ask  yourself,  “ Can  I get  more  en- 
joyment out  of  time  and  money  spent  in  providing  a good  house, 
rather  than  a poor  one,  or  making  this  or  that  improvement, 
than  by  some  other  appropriation  of  them?”  and  let  the  answer 

1* 


10 


PRINCIPLES  OF  HOUSE-BUILDING. 


guage  your  home  expenditures.  Improving  home  facilitates,  aids 
every  other  end  and  pleasure  of  life,  while  scanting  it  scants  all. 

It  matters  less  what  a house  costs,  than  how  good  it  is.  Better 
disburse  money  in  improving  home,  than  on  thousands  of  things 
on  which  we  too  often  well-nigh  throw  it  away.  Let  others  spend 
theirs  on  balls,  rides,  fashions,  etc.,  but  let  me  expend  mine  on 
home,  in  annually  adorning  and  improving  it,  till  in  life’s  decline, 
I shall  have  erected  for  myself  and  family  a perfect  home  ; sur- 
rounded by  as  many  means  of  comfort  and  even  luxury  as  pos- 
sible, my  land  rich,  trees  yearly  loaded  with  every  variety  of  the 
choicest  fruits,  and  provided  with  every  thing  conducive  to  beauty, 
utility,  and  comfort.  In  short,  let  all  provide  just  as  good  homes 
as  they  can,  and  better  than  most  think  themselves  able  to  do, 
even  at  the  sacrifice  of  many  other  things.  Not  that  in  building 
you  should  endanger  bankruptcy,  or  spend  beyond  your  means  ; 
but  that  you  had  better  curtail  other  expenses  to  spend  on  home 
fixtures.  To  some,  cheapness  is  an  important  matter.  Let  such 
cut  their  garment  according  to  their  cloth,  yet  get  the  largest 
garment  possible  out  of  what  cloth  can  be  had.  Yet  on  few 
things  can  and  do  men  literally  squander  money  as  foolishly  as 
in  building.  To  begin  with  a crude  plan,  and  then  alter  this  and 
patch  up  that,  is  foolish  extravagance.  Get  all  ready  before 
laying  the  first  stone.  Especially,  mature  your  plan.  Know 
just  what  you  want,  and  how  to  do  it,  and  keep  all  your  wits 
sharpened  up.  Inform  yourself  on  this  subject,  so  as  to  trust 
more  to  yourself  and  less  to  the  mechanics,  who  may  take  more 
interest  in  your  money  than  house ; and  excuse  this  omission 
or  that  error,  by,  “I  did  not  know  how  you  wanted  it.”  Be 
your  own  boss,  and  throw  yourself  more  on  your  own  judgment, 
and  less  on  that  of  mechanics,  which  is  sometimes  inferior  to  that 
of  common  men,  because  not  warped  by  wrong  training. 

2.  men’s  habitations  correspond  with  their  characteristics. 

The  domiciles  of  all  animals  bear  a close  resemblance  to  their 
respective  characters.  Thus,  inferior  animals,  moths,  worms,  rep- 
tiles, etc.,  make  very  poor  homes,  while  the  coarse-grained  wood- 
chuck, and  other  burrowing  animals,  are  content  with  dark,  damp, 
ground-holes.  Beavers,  higher  in  the  creative  scale,  build  them- 


HABITATION  AS  CHARACTER. 


11 


selves  nicer  and  better  residences,  while  beasts  of  prey  seek  some 
dark  cavern,  from  which  to  sally  forth  in  search  of  hapless  prey, 
and  in  which  to  deposit  their  booty.  Walking  fowls  build  on 
the  ground,  swimming  ones  in  marshes,  and  flying  ones  in  trees; 
while  eagles  select  the  towering  crag,  hawks  and  owls  some 
deep  wood,  and  innocent  and  tame  birds,  the  tree  by  our  door  or 
window.  Beautiful  birds  build  tasty  nests,  the  coarse-grained 
goose  a coarse  nest,  and  thus,  throughout  all  nature,  the  abodes  of 
all  animals  correspond  perfectly  with  their  characteristics,  so  that 
the  latter  can  safely  be  predicated  from  the  former. 

This  law  applies  equally  to  man.  The  Bosjowan  builds  a rude 
hut,  yet  of  the  lowest  type  of  human  architecture,  because  at  the 
bottom  of  the  ladder.  The  ruins  of  Pompeii  contain  only  two 
houses,  and  these  of  rulers,  above  one  story  high — humanity  then 
being  little  developed — while  the  Hottentot,  Carib,  Malay,  Indian, 
and  Caucasian,  build  structures  better,  and  better  still,  corre- 
sponding with  the  order  of  their  mentality.  In  villages,  too,  fine, 
fancy,  old-fashioned,  elegant,  or  odd  houses,  signify  fine,  fancy, 
old-fashioned,  or  elegant  people. 

Individuals,  too,  little  refined,  will  build  some  outlandish  tene- 
ment, as  unsightly  in  looks  as  inconvenient  in  arrangement,  but 
those  endowed  with  good  taste  will  erect  a neat,  well-proportion- 
ed, and  beautiful  edifice.  The  slack,  low-minded,  and  “ shiftless,” 
aspire  only  to  some  hut  or  hovel,  dug  out  of  a bank,  just  to  ward 
off  the  major  part  of  storm  and  cold,  placed  in  a muddy  hollow, 
only  a half  story  high,  and  supplying  few  of  life’s  necessities  even, 
much  less  luxuries ; while  the  spirited,  ambitious,  and  enterpris- 
ing, whose  aspirations  are  lofty,  and  minds  high-toned,  select  em- 
inences, and  build  high  houses.  Especially  will  the  quantity  and 
quality  of  man’s  intellect  evince  themselves  in  the  houses  they 
build.  Those  who  let  the  mechanic  play  with  their  purse,  by 
first  playing  on  their  fancy,  and  persuading  them  to  build  after 
this  or  that  gaudy  or  antiquated  fashion,  lack  independence  and 
judgment,  while  those  of  immature  tastes  will  attempt  some  try- 
to-be-extra-exquisite  monument  of  gewgaw  crudeness,  but  those  of 
well-balanced  minds  and  sound  practical  sense,  will  plan  and  exe- 
cute a comfortable,  good-looking,  well-arranged  residence,  which 
they  will  finish  off  in  a style  corresponding  with  their  own  order 


12 


PRINCIPLES  OP  IIOUSE-BIILDLNG. 


of  taste.  Indeed,  other  things  being  equal,  the  better  a man’s 
mentality,  the  better  mansion  will  he  construct,  and  the  char- 
acteristics of  the  house  will  be  as  those  of  its  builder  or  occupant. 

Of  course  this  general  rule  has  many  modifications  and  excep- 
tions, both  ways.  Men  possessing  mental  superiority  may  occu- 
py inferior  tenements,  from  necessity,  habit,  aversion  to  change 
the  abode  of  earlier  years,  or  even  sheer  inattention,  while  infe- 
rior ones  may  owe  their  fine  houses  more  to  their  architect  or 
fortuitous  circumstances  than  themselves.  So  want  of  means,  or 
a thousand  other  causes,  may  prevent  given  persons  from  carry- 
ing out  their  building  tastes  or  talents ; yet,  as  a general  rule,  a 
fancy  man  will  build  a fancy  cottage  ; a practical  man,  a conve- 
nient home;  a substantial  man,  a solid  edifice;  a weak  man,  an 
illy-arranged  house;  an  aspiring  man,  a high  house  ; and  a supe- 
rior man,  a superb  villa.  Yet  this  diversity  of  taste  is  well,  for 
it  variegates  and  beautifies  both  town  and  country,  is  compatible 
with  superb  taste  and  the  highest  utility,  and  promotes  both  ; and 
will  indefinitely  perfect  the  habitations  of  man  throughout  all 
coming  time. 


3.  THE  PLEASURES  OF  BUILDING. 

Nor  is  man  constituted  merely  to  require  houses,  but  also 
adapted  to  build  them,  by  being  endowed  with  a building  fac- 
ulty. Not  merely  does  nature  double  and  quadruple  most  of 
life’s  pleasures  by  means  of  houses ; but  she  has  made  their 
erection  absolutely  certain,  by  rendering  the  very  building 
itself  most  pleasurable.  Behold  how  happy  yon  birds,  in  gather- 
ing materials,  and  building  up  day  by  day,  a sweet  little  home 
for  themselves  and  their  prospective  offspring;  and  say,  ye  who 
have  ever  built  a residence  for  your  own  self  and  family,  if  its 
planning,  its  preparation,  and  its  erection,  from  its  very  corner- 
stone, were  not  all  pleasurable,  so  as  literally  to  form  an  epoch 
in  your  history,  and  to  overbalance  even  its  expensiveness.  And 
if  it  were  conducted  in  the  best  manner,  it  might  all  be  pleasur- 
able. Building  too  hastily,  or  at  great  disadvantage,  or  unwisely, 
is  more  or  less  irksome,  as  is  the  non-obedience  of  all  nature’s 
other  laws  ; but  to  see  this  room  finished  to-day,  and  that  to- 
morrow ; this  excellent  fixture  begun,  and  that  added,  is  exult- 


PLEASURES  OF  BUILDING. 


13 


ingly  pleasurable.  No  labor  of  my  life  has  given  me  more 
lively  delight  than  the  planning  and  building  of  my  own  house  ; 
and  to  all  it  can  likewise  be  rendered  almost  intoxicating. 

Notwithstanding  its  expensiveness,  men  have  a literal  mania 
for  building,  which  increases  with  civilization,  and  should  con- 
tinue till  all  are  supplied  with  comfortable  homes.  Houses 
being  so  absolutely  necessary,1  nature  has  made  their  erection 
absolutely  certain,  by  rendering  it  thus  pleasurable.  This  pleas- 
ure is  consequent  on  its  gratifying  those  two  primitive  faculties, 
Inhabitiveness  and  Constructiveness,  along  with  several  others; 
without  the  former  of  which  he  would  never  wish  to  build  if  he 
could  ; and  without  the  latter,  could  not  if  he  would.  How  per- 
fect this  home-erecting  arrangement  of  nature ! Then  let  it  be 
cultivated  by  all. 

These  two  faculties  make  men  prefer  to  build  their  own  houses, 
rather  than  to  buy  those  equally  good  built  by  others.  Hence, 
houses  can  always  be  bought  cheaper  than  built.  But,  as  birds, 
instead  of  living  in  some  vacated  nest,  prefer  to  build  a new  one 
to  their  own  liking,  so  men,  unless  too  poor,  should  rather  build 
than  buy  ; for,  otherwise  they  will  wish  this  different,  and  that 
bettered,  all  their  lives,  and  probably  spend  more  in  “ alterations” 
than  the  extra  cost  of  a new  house.  One  may  well  be  content  to 
live  in  the  old  family  mansion,  consecrated  by  the  joys  and  sor- 
rows of  his  parents  and  ancestors,  and  by  the  sacred  reminiscences 
of  his  childhood  ; but  give  me  a relatively  poor  house  of  my 
own  erection,  in  preference  to  one  built  by  some  stranger. 

4.  WHAT  CONSTITUTES  A PERFECT  HOME. 

That  which  combines  the  most  instrumentalities  for  comfort 
and  enjoyment,  especially  domestic — the  only  rational  end  of 
any  dwelling — only  a few  of  the  most  important  of  which  we 
will  now  name,  leaving  others  to  be  developed  as  we  proceed. 

To  inclose  space  is  the  first  and  main  object.  This  is  effected 
by  making  walls,  floors,  roof,  etc. 

Strength  and  tightness  are  required ; the  former  to  resist 
winds,  and  the  latter  to  exclude  rains  and  colds,  and  include 
warmth.  Light  is  needed,  and  secured  by  windows,  as  is  also 
warmth,  which  should  be  easily  created,  cheap,  governable,  and 


14 


PRINCIPLES  OF  HOUSE-BUILDING. 


complete ; for  what  comfort  can  be  taken  in  an  open  barn  of  a 
house,  the  chilling  blasts  pouring  in  through  a thousand  insolent 
apertures,  freezing  one  side  while  you  roast  the  other,  and  expos- 
ing you  to  every  sudden  change  of  temperature. 

Complete  ventilation,  under  control,  is  another  ; for  every 
human  being  requires  a copious  and  constant  supply  of  this  com- 
modity, so  indispensable,  not  merely  to  human  comfort,  but  even 
existence. 

A suit  of  rooms  is  also  requisite ; one  for  cooking,  another  for 
family  use,  others  for  sleeping  and  other  purposes,  and  all  so 
arranged  as  perfectly  to  subserve  their  respective  ends,  and,  of 
course,  easily  accessible  from  each  to  all,  effected  by  doors,  stairs, 
entry,  etc.  And  these  rooms  should  be  conveniently  located,  as 
regards  each  other,  and  especially  adapted  to  facilitate  family 
ends,  house-work  in  particular.  Practical  house-keepers  know 
that  it  takes  twice  the  labor  to  do  up  a given  amount  of  work  in 
some  houses  as  in  others.  To  have  each  room  and  its  appurten- 
ances, and  all  the  rooms,  as  regards  each  other,  so  placed  and 
arranged  as  to  have  every  thing  handy  and  convenient,  and  a 
place  for  every  thing,  is  indeed  a great  desideratum.  How  much 
fretfulness  and  ill  temper,  as  well  as  exhaustion  and  sickness,  an 
unhandy  house  occasions.  Nor  does  the  evil  end  here.  It  often, 
generally,  by  perpetually  irritating  mothers,  sours  the  tempers 
of  their  children,  even  before  birth,  thus  rendering  the  whole 
family  bad-dispositioned  by  nature,  whereas  a convenient  one 
would  have  rendered  them  constitutionally  amiable  and  good. 

Beauty  is  also  desirable,  as  gratifying  an  important  human 
faculty. 

A good  building  spot  is  also  necessary,  and  one  adapted  to 
the  proposed  kind  of  house.  The  same  money  will  often  build 
a far  better  house  on  one  site  than  on  another.  A superb  build- 
ing spot  was  one  of  the  three  motives  which  induced  me  to  build 
where  I did — the  other  twTo  being  good  water,  and  an  excellent 
fruit  locality. 

As  to  what  constitutes  a good  building  spot,  “many  men  have 
many  minds.”  Some  prefer  valleys,  streams,  and  lawns  ; others 
water  scenery,  elevations,  and  sightly  prospects ; but  I confess 
partiality  for  the  latter.  Give  me  a beautiful  landscape  and  an 


WHAT  CONSTITUTES  A PERFECT  HOME. 


15 


elevated  site.  This  also  guarantees  a fresh,  dry  atmosphere,  in 
place  of  valley  fogs  and  miasms,  together  with  whatever  summer 
breeze  may  be  afoot.  And  what  if  it  is  exposed  to  winter’s  bleak 
winds'?  Are  they  not  bracing  and  healthy'?  Yet  a plan  will 
soon  be  proposed  which  will  enable  you  to  defy  them,  yet  enjoy 
summer’s  balmy  breezes.  At  least,  do  not  build  in  a mud-hole. 
Yet  good  water,  and  handy,  is  most  desirable,  and  springs  exceed 
wells. 

But,  be  your  site  where  and  what  it  may,  let  it  and  your  house 
be  adapted  to  each  other.  Some  sites  are  admirably  adapted 
to  one  kind  of  house,  yet  miserably  unfitted  to  another,  and  the 
reverse.  Choose  your  site  with  reference  to  your  general  plan, 
and  then  modify  the  latter  till  you  effect  a perfect  correspondence 
of  each  to  the  other,  and  adapt  both  to  your  own  wants  and  taste. 


SECTION  II. 


THE  GRAVEL-WALL  PLAN. 

5.  nature’s  building  material. 

Nature  has  made  ample  provision  for  supplying  every  legiti- 
mate want  of  all  her  creatures.  Behold  in  this  her  tender  fond- 
ness, her  maternal  care.  Hence,  since  a comfortable  home  is 
one  of  these  natural  wants,  has  she  not  made  perfect  provision 
for  this  home-demand  of  all  her  creatures  ? Nor  for  rich  merely  ; 
for,  does  not  her  provisionary  care  extend  to  her  needy  creatures 
quite  as  much  as  to  her  more  favored  children  ? Is  nature  so 
aristocratic  as  to  provide  homes  only  for  the  rich1?  Does  not 
her  vast  laboratory  abound  in  some  “ coarse  homespun,”  about 
as  promotive  of  human  comfort  as  her  more  expensive  materials  ? 
Ye  homeless  poor,  be  assured  your  mother  has  not  forgotten  you. 
She  has  provided  some  cheap  and  comfortable  building  material, 
if  you  only  knew  what  it  is.  And  in  various  climes  it  is  exactly 
fitted  to  each  clime — in  cold  latitudes,  one  every  way  fitted  to 
withstand  and  keep  out  cold ; another  in  warm  climes  adapted 
thereto  ; in  damp  places,  something  adapted  to  them;  and  thus  of 
all  the  other  conditions  of  all  climates,  for  nature’s  provisions  are 
all  perfect. 

Before  considering  what  this  material  is,  let  us  see  what  it  is 
not.  Nature’s  building  material  is  abundant  everywhere,  cheap, 
durable,  and  complete  throughout.  Of  course  what  is  objection- 
able is  not  hers. 


6.  WOOD  IS  OBJECTIONABLE. 

Because  the  whole  of  the  earth’s  surface  is  or  will  ultimately 
be  required  for  raising  food  for  man.  All  nature’s  economies 


WOOD  IS  OBJECTIONABLE. 


17 


point  to  the  greatest  possible  number  of  human  beings  she  can 
feed  and  clothe.  For  a time  yet,  or  till  she  is  well  stocked 
with  human  beings,  that  surface  is  of  little  account,  and  can  just 
as  well  be  spared  for  raising  timber  for  lumber  as  not.  But  let 
earth’s  population  increase  for  five  hundred  years  to  come,  as  fast 
as  it  has  for  one  hundred  past — and  it  is  sure  to  far  more  than  do 
this — and  her  entire  surface  will  be  densely  populated.  But  to 
raise  wood  enough  to  erect  and  repair  all  the  human  habitations 
then  needed,  will  require  immense  tracts  of  land,  which  other- 
wise could  be  appropriated  to  raising  food,  which  would  allow  a 
far  greater  number  of  human  beings  to  inhabit  and  enjoy  earth 
and  her  luxuries,  if  there  were  some  other  building  material,  than 
if  wood  were  mainly  used.  The  strife  will  then  be  between  tree 
and  man,  and  will  be  short.  The  great  consumption  of  food  then 
will  also  render  land  so  valuable  for  horticulture  as  to  render 
wood  too  dear  to  be  bought  for  building,  even  by  princes.  It  is 
even  now  becoming  enormously  high  in  New  York,  namely, 
good  pine  $35  to  $45  per  1000  feet.  Then  what  must  it  become 
in  fifty  years  ? 

Wood  decays,  whereas  economy  requires  that  houses,  once  up, 
endure  like  time,  and  improve  by  age.  This  being  obliged  every 
few  years  to  paint  and  repaint,  to  repair  and  re-repair,  and  even 
then  to  have  your  house  perpetually  rotting  down  upon  you,  is  a 
defect  too  palpable  to  characterize  a proper  building  material. 

Wood  houses  burn  down,  often  in  half  an  hour;  whereas  a 
complete  house  must  be  incombustible.  The  ravages  of  fire  in 
cities  and  towns  are  horrible,  beyond  almost  any  other  horror 
to  which  man  is  subjected ; and  even  a country  fire,  if  only  a 
stable,  is  awful.  No  ! nature’s  building  material  will  not  render 
her  occupants  liable  to  be  turned  by  thousands  in  an  hour  out  of 
comfortable  rooms  into  houseless  streets,  perhaps  in  a night  of 
darkness  and  storm,  of  snow  and  blow,  terrible  of  itself  when 
warded  off  by  a comfortable  house,  but  awfully  horrid  when 
forced  out  of  a comfortable  house  and  warm  bed,  perhaps  sick, 
or  aged,  every  article  of  comfort  and  luxury,  the  accumulated 
toil  of  years,  consumed  in  a moment,  perhaps  a beloved  child 
or  companion  scathed  by  flame  and  suffocated  by  smoke,  burn- 
ed to  a crisp.  No,  no ! wood  is  not  nature’s  building  material, 


18 


THE  GRAVEL-WALL  PLAN. 


although  a wood  house  is  indeed  better  than  none,  and  will  do  for 
man  when  he  can  afford  nothing  better. 

7.  BRICK. 

Ah,  now  we  have  it.  Slow  to  decay,  incombustible,  requiring 
little  of  earth’s  surface  for  its  production — yes,  brick  must  be  the 
very  thing,  says  one.  Not  so  fast.  It  wastes  by  time,  is  marred 
by  frost,  expensive,  both  in  cost  and  laying — too  much  so  to  be 
nature’s  staple  building  material — for  nature  cares  for  her  poorest 
sons  and  daughters,  and  will  not  put  good  homes  beyond  their 
reach.  Still,  brick  is  by  far  preferable  to  wood,  and  will  do  in 
many  localities,  especially  where  it  can  be  made  on  the  spot , yet 
is  too  costly  to  transport  far.  An  anecdote.  A proud  English 
lord  spent  an  immense  sum  in  erecting  a magnificent  manorial 
mansion,  and  invited  another  noble  lord  to  examine,  and  say  what 
he  thought  of  it — proud  to  exhibit  his  riches  and  his  taste.  As 
his  opinion  was  solicited,  the  visitor  replied:  “Well  done  for  a 
mud  house.”  The  muddy  adjective  so  stung  the  owner,  that  he 
removed  every  brick,  and  rebuilt  of  stone.  “ Then,”  it  is  replied, 
“ you  recommend  stone  houses.” 

Not  exactly.  Very  laborious  to  hew  them  into  shape,  very 
cold  in  winter,  and  damp  in  wet  weather,  either  expensive  or  else 
unsightly — there  must  be  something  else  better  than  this,  than 
brick,  or  wood — some  perfect  building  material.  What  is  it  % 

8.  THE  LIME,  GRAVEL,  AND  STONE  WALLS. 

Simplicity  and  efficiency  characterize  every  work  of  nature. 
Her  building  material  will  therefore  be  simple,  durable,  easily 
applied,  everywhere  abundant,  easily  rendered  beautiful,  comfort- 
able, and  every  way  complete.  All  this  is  true  of  the  gravel 
wall.  It  is  made  wholly  out  of  lime  and  stones,  sand  included, 
which  is,  of  course,  fine  stone.  And  pray  what  is  lime  but  stone  ? 
Made  from  stone,  the  burning,  by  expelling  its  carbonic  acid  gas, 
separates  its  particles,  which,  slacked  and  mixed  with  sand  and 
stone,  coats  them,  and  adheres  both  to  them  and  to  itself,  and, 
reabsorbing  its  carbonic  acid  gas,  again  returns  to  stone,  becoming 
more  and  still  more  solid  with  age,  till,  in  the  lapse  of  years,  it 
becomes  real  stone.  By  this  provision  of  nature,  we  are  enabled 


LIME,  GRAVEL,  AND  STONE  WALLS. 


19 


to  mold  mortar  into  whatever  form  we  like,  and  it  becomes  verit- 
able stone,  and  ultimately  as  hard  as  stone,  growing  harder  and 
still  harder  from  age  to  age,  and  century  to  century.  Even  frost 
and  wet  do  not  destroy  its  adhesive  quality,  after  it  is  once  fairly 
dry.  The  walls  of  my  house  stood  one  severe  winter  intirely  un- 
protected, even  by  a coat  of  mortar,  without  a roof  yet  neither 
peeled,  nor  cracked,  nor  crumbled,  one  iota.  Does  frost  crumble 
or  injure  a brick  wall?  Yet  what  but  lime  forms  its  bond  princi- 
ple? Nothing?  Then  why  should  frost  injure  any  wall  having 
lime  for  its  bond  principle  ? 

Reader,  reflect  a moment  on  the  value  of  this  lime  principle. 
What  would  man  do  without  it  ? How  useful  to  be  able  to  cast 
or  spread  mortar  into  any  shape,  and  have  it  harden  into  stone. 
Without  lime,  of  what  use  brick?  How  could  we  make  inside 
walls,  or  hard  finish  them?  Let  us,  while  enjoying  the  luxuries 
secured  by  this  law,  thankfully  acknowledge  their  source. 

Obviously,  this  hardening  property  of  lime  adapts  it  admirably 
to  building  purposes.  Mixed  with  sand,  formed  with  brick  or 
stone  into  any  shape  we  please,  it  petrifies  and  remains  forever. 
How  simple  ! How  effectual ! How  infinitely  useful ! Like  air 
or  water,  its  very  commonness  and  necessity  make  us  forget  its 
value. 

And  can  not  this  hardening  principle  be  applied  to  other  things 
as  well  as  to  mortar?  Especially,  can  it  not  be  applied  as  effect- 
ually to  coarse  mortar  as  to  fine  ? Aye,  better  ! If  it  will  bind 
fine  sand  particles  together,  why  not  coarse  stones  ? Especially, 
coarse  stones  imbedded  in  fine  mortar?  Lime  sticks  to  any  thing 
hard,  and  sticks  together  any  two  or  more  hard  substances,  coated 
with  it  and  laid  side  by  side,  whether  large  or  small.  It  fastens 
stones  and  brick  together,  as  now  usually  laid  up  by  the  mason, 
then  why  not  if  thrown  together  promiscuously  ? Fact  and  phi- 
losophy both  answer  affirmatively. 

In  1850,  near  Jaynesville,  Wise.,  I saw  houses  built  wholly  of 
lime,  mixed  with  that  coarse  gravel  and  sand  found  in  banks  on 
the  western  prairies,  and  underlying  all  prairie  soil.  I visited 
Milton,  to  examine  the  house  put  up  by  Mr.  Goodrich,  the  orig- 
inal discoverer  of  this  mode  of  building,  and  found  his  walls  as 
hard  as  stone  itself,  and  harder  than  brick  walls.  I pounded 


20 


THE  GRAVEL- W ALL  PLAN. 


them  with  the  hammer,  and  examined  them  thoroughly,  till  fully 
satisfied  as  to  their  solidity  and  strength.  Mr.  Goodrich  offered 
to  allow  me  to  strike  with  a sledge,  as  hard  as  I pleased,  upon  the 
inside  of  his  parlor  walls  for  six  cents  per  blow,  which  he  said 
would  repair  all  damages.  He  said,  in  making  this  discovery, 
he  reasoned  thus  : Has  nature  not  provided  some  other  building 
material  on  these  prairies  but  wood,  which  is  scarce?  Can  we 
find  nothing  in  our  midst?  Let  me  see  what  we  have.  Lime 
abounds  on  them  everywhere.  So  does  coarse  gravel.  Will 
they  not  do  ? I will  try.  He  first  built  an  academy  not  larger 
than  a school-house.  Part  way  up,  a severe  storm  washed  it,  so 
that  a portion  fell.  His  neighbors  wrote  on  it  with  chalk  by 
night,  “ Goodrich’s  folly.”  But,  after  it  was  up,  he  wrote  in 
answer,  “ Goodrich’s  wisdom.”  It  stood  ; it  hardened  with  age. 
He  erected  a blacksmith’s  shop,  and  finally  a block  of  stores  and 
dwellings ; and  his  plan  was  copied  extensively.  And  he  de- 
serves to  be  immortalized,  for  the  superiority  of  this  plan  must 
certainly  revolutionize  building,  and  especially  enable  poor  men 
to  build  their  own  homes. 

All  the  credit  I claim  is  that  of  appreciating  its  superiority, 
applying  it  on  a large  scale,  and  greatly  improving  the  mode  of 
putting  up  this  kind  of  wall. 

9.  SELECTION  OF  THE  MATERIAL. 

In  building  on  this  principle,  the  first  object  is  to  select  the 
right  material.  And,  fortunately,  this  abounds  in  some  form  on 
nearly  every  square  mile  of  the  earth’s  surface. 

All  that  is  wanted  is  stone  and  lime.  The  stone  requires  to  be 
of  various  sizes,  from  tolerably  fine  sand,  all  the  way  along  up  to 
stones  as  large  as  you  can  well  deposit  in  your  wall.  A wall 
made  simply  of  lime  and  sand  will  answer,  yet  stones  add  con- 
siderably to  its  solidity,  especially  while  the  wall  is  yet  soft,  and 
serve  the  purpose  of  holding  a wall  up  while  it  becomes  hard  ; 
but  once  hard,  sand  and  lime  make  just  as  solid  a wall  without 
stone  as  with.  In  fact,  it  makes  little  difference  how  coarse  or 
how  fine  the  material,  after  it  is  once  up.  There  must,  however, 
be  enough  of  the  fine  to  connect  the  coarser  stones  together. 


SELECTION  OF  THE  MATERIAL. 


21 


The  materials  of  my  own  house  are  too  coarse.  More  sand 
and  fine  material  would  have  been  better,  but  I had  to  haul  this 
some  two  and  a half  miles,  up  heavy  hills,  and  1 used  as  little  of 
it  as  I well  could,  and  in  place  of  hauling  sand,  pounded  my  slate 
stones  the  finer.  Oyster  shells,  brickbats,  furnace  cinders,  or  any 
thing  hard,  will  answer  just  as  good  a purpose  as  stones.  All 
that  is  required,  is  something  solid  for  the  lime  to  adhere  to.  The 
more  fine  sand  you  have,  the  more  lime  will  be  required,  the  more 
coarse  stones,  the  less,  and  the  more  solidly  the  materials  are 
compacted  together,  the  thinner  will  that  wall  need  to  be.  Prob- 
ably the  very  best  materials  will  be  found  in  those  gravel  knolls 
which  abound  throughout  our  country,  which  are  composed  of  all 
sizes,  from  middling  fine  gravel,  all  the  way  along  up  to  stones 
the  size  of  the  fist  or  head and  wherever  such  a bank  can  be  had, 
all  required  is  to  mix  the  lime  with  it,  and  throw  it  right  into  the 
wall.  These  banks  are  found  all  around  Boston.  On  every  rail- 
road diverging  from  that  city  is  found  just  the  right  material 
every  time  the  road  cuts  through  a bank ; and  the  clearer  it  is 
from  soil  the  better,  yet  that  soil  does  not  materially  hurt  it.  In 
fact,  in  the  absence  of  finer  particles  of  sand,  it  may  aid  compact- 
ness. That  ridge  at  the  east  of  Portland,  Maine,  on  which  the 
light-house  stands,  furnishes  just  the  material.  All  the  Western 
prairies  abound  in  just  the  required  material,  either  in  occa- 
sional banks  there  found,  or  two  or  three  feet  below  the  surface. 
All  the  wells  I ever  saw  dug  on  the  praries  threw  up  just 
the  right  kind  of  gravel,  nor  do  I remember  seeing  a bank  dug 
through,  which  did  not  develop  them.  In  Cincinnati,  in  several 
places,  I observed  it  in  the  digging  of  cellars,  particularly  just 
below  the  Burnet  House,  where  was  an  unoccupied  lot,  the 
contents  of  which  I examined  with  this  view.  I have  nowhere  in 
New  York  city  seen  a cellar,  or  sewer,  or  ditch  dug,  which  did 
not  throw  it  up ; and  all  that  is  necessary  to  build  a house  in  that 
city,  on  this  plan,  is  to  throw  the  stuff,  namely,  grayish,  reddish 
sand,  and  stones,  right  into  your  mortar  beds,  mix  with  lime,  and 
then  shovel  into  the  wall.  This  will  save  even  the  carting  of  the 
materials,  both  the  carting  of  the  brick,  and  the  sand  dug  out  of 
the  cellar  of  the  house  to  be  built;  and  I verily  believe,  in  New 
York  city,  the  walls  of  a house  can  be  put  up  on  this  plan,  for 


22 


THE  GRAVEL-WALL  PLAN. 


one  tenth  what  they  can  he  on  any  other,  and  better  every  way 
than  brick. 

In  Mohawk  valley,  and  all  around  Albany,  the  right  mate- 
rials abound.  Those  pebbles  mixed  with  coarse  and  fine  sand, 
which  line  the  banks  of  rivers  and  lakes,  are  also  suitable.  Any 
chippings  or  stones,  out  of  the  marble  yards  or  stone  quarries, 
where  they  commingle  stones  of  all  shapes,  from  small  sandy  par- 
ticles, to  the  size  of  a man’s  head,  are  suitable,  yet  will  require 
some  sand  to  fill  up  the  holes  between  these  coarser  particles,  in 
order  to  give  the  requisite  surface  for  contact  and  adhesion. 

Around  Cincinnati,  in  those  ridges  from  which  stones  are  quar- 
ried for  cellars,  those  chippings  left  by  working  these  stones  for 
walls,  are  just  the  thing,  or  such  broken  stones  as  are  used  for 
macadamizing  roads.  Six  miles  west  of  Cleveland,  I observed  in 
crossing  a river,  where  men  were  at  work  improving  the  road,  a 
half  clay,  half  stone  formation,  hard  enough  for  this  purpose,  and 
I doubt  not,  over  that  whole  tract  will  be  found  layers  of  stone 
just  beneath  the  soil,  suited  to  this  kind  of  building ; and  there 
also  is  found  in  that  vicinity  abundance  of  sand,  to  mix  with  these 
slate-stones. 

My  own  house  is  built  entirely  of  slate-stones,  mixed  with  this 
gravel.  I erected  it  on  an  oval  knoll,  the  top  of  which  I had  to 
take  down  some  six  feet,  in  order  to  obtain  a level  foundation. 
After  removing  the  top  soil,  I found  various  layers  of  stone  of 
various  thicknessess,  some  so  solid  as  to  require  blasting,  others 
full  of  seams,  and  easily  worked  up  by  the  bar ; others  still,  broke 
up  into  thin  slate  pieces,  so  that  I had  all  sorts  and  descriptions 
of  stones.  Now  here  were  thousands  of  loads  to  be  carted  off, 
unless  I employed  this  mode  of  building ; but  by  employing  it,  all 
I had  to  do  was  to  quarry  the  stones,  and  shovel  and  wheel  them 
directly  into  the  mortar-beds,  and  thence  into  the  wall,  so  that  I had 
not  even  to  haul  the  gravel , and  this  hauling' item  alone  saved  me 
considerable  expense,  for  we  have  no  brick-yard  short  of  five 
miles.  In  digging  my  well,  which  passed  directly  through  this 
same  slaty,  rocky  formation,  and  was  all  stone,  the  chips  thrown 
out  were  exactly  what  was  wanted  in  the  wall,  and  were  all  used 
for  that  purpose ; and  to  save  sand,  I usually  employed  one  to 
pound  up  the  slate,  while  another  was  shoveling  it.  This  was 


SELECTION  OF  THE  MATERIAL. 


23 


done  in  order  to  reduce  these  broad  thin  slate-stones  to  a more 
solid,  consistent  mass,  that  they  might  touch  one  another  oftener, 
so  that  the  lime  could  have  a chance  to  combine  them  together ; 
and  it  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  everywhere  on  the  earth’s  sur- 
face will  be  found  either  sand  and  gravel,  or  this  slate-stone 
formation.  Even  clayey  countries,  a little  below  the  surface, 
abound  in  a like  formation ; of  course  broken  lime-stone  will 
serve  this  purpose,  and  in  many  sections  of  our  country  are 
stones  easily  broken  up  by  a sledge,  at  least  when  first  quarried, 
thus  furnishing  both  the  finer  particles  and  the  larger  stones  in 
any  proportion  desired,  and  very  easily  procured.  Even  oyster- 
shells  alone  will  serve  to  put  up  this  form  of  house,  by  burning 
a part  to  furnish  lime,  pounding  a part  to  serve  the  place  of  sand, 
and  leaving  a part  in  their  original  state,  so  that  those  persons 
who  would  economize,  have  only  to  order  those  very  shells  which 
the  oyster-man  has  to  pay  to  have  carted  from  his  cellar,  on  to 
your  building  spot.  Most  of  the  materials  made  in  grading  about 
our  cities,  will  serve  this  gravel-wall  purpose,  and  can  be  carted 
directly  from  the  bank  to  your  proposed  house,  just  as  well  as 
to  the  place  in  which  they  are  usually  deposited.  Ballast  from 
ships  will  usually  serve  a like  purpose.  Brickbats  can  also  be 
used  for  this  kind  of  wall,  namely,  breaking  a part  to  subserve 
the  place  of  sand,  the  balance  serving  for  stones.  Clinkers,  coal- 
dross  from  furnaces,  and  blacksmiths’  siftings,  in  fact,  any 
thing  hard,  whatever  be  its  size,  quality,  or  shape,  will  furnish 
the  main  body  of  the  required  compost.  All  else  needed  is  suffi- 
cient sand  to  fill  up  the  intermediate  holes  or  spaces,  so  that  the 
lime  can  stick  the  various  particles  together  into  a solid  mass. 
But  even  if  the  wall  is  full  of  little  honey-comb  holes,  it  will  still 
be  sufficiently  solid.  Of  my  own  wall,  I presume  one  quarter  is 
composed  of  these  honey-comb  holes  between  the  slate-stones  not 
filled  with  sand,  but  time  has  already  proved  its  abundant  solidity. 
Not  a single  crack  is  to  be  seen,  except  some  occasioned  by  the 
springing  of  an  arch  made  over  my  well ; and  where  the  founda- 
tion gives,  of  course  this  cracking  must  occur,  be  the  material 
what  it  may. 

From  what  has  just  been  said,  every  reader  will  judge  for  him 
self  how  much  sand  and  gravel  he  will  mingle  with  his  stones,  or 


24 


THE  GRAY EL- WALL  PLAN. 


stones  with  his  sand  and  gravel.  It  hardly  matters  how  coarse 
or  how  fine  after  the  wall  is  up,  for  once  set,  it  will  stand,  and 
grow  more  solid  with  age.  Of  course,  the  best  proportion,  where 
they  can  be  had,  is  a complete  gradation,  from  stones  as  large  as 
you  can  well  deposit  in  your  walls,  all  the  way  down  to  fine  sand, 
so  that  all  the  particles  shall  completely  consolidate  together. 

These  remarks  will  enable  readers  to  select  their  material. 

10.  LIME,  ITS  PROPORTION  AND  MODE  OF  MIXING. 

These  materials  now  require  to  be  mixed  with  lime,  and  any 
easy. mode  of  perfectly  commingling  these  stones,  gravel,  and  sand 
with  the  lime  will  serve  the  purpose.  I have  never  tried  mixing 
them  in  the  dry  state,  but  am  certain  this  will  answer  a good 
purpose,  but  will  probably  take  some  more  lime;  yet  I think  it 
better  to  wet  the  lime  first,  because  lime  incorporates  itself  with 
these  stones  better  wet  than  dry:  at  least,  I think  the  lime  can 
be  wet  more  easily  by  itself,  than  after  mixing  with  the  stones. 
The  lime  I used  was  the  coarsest,  commonest  quality,  such  as 
farmers  put  upon  their  lands,  was  slacked  at  the  kill,  and  cost 
4k  cents  per  bushel.  It  was  strong,  but  coarse — in  fact,  too  coarse 
to  be  used  for  ordinary  plastering,  unless  well  screened,  and  this 
took  out  something  like  a quarter  of  its  bulk.  I used  this  lime 
occasionally  for  mortar,  threw  these  screenings  right  in  with  the 
stones  and  sand,  allowing  them  to  go  as  far  as  they  might.  My 
mode  of  procedure  was  this.  I first  made  a mortar-bed,  some 
twelve  by  sixteen  feet,  with  a wide  board,  perhaps  eighteen  inches, 
all  around  the  sides,  yet  a larger  bed  would  have  been  better. 

11.  PLACING  AND  WORKING  THE  MORTAR-BED. 

Very  much  depends  on  where  the  mortar-bed  is  located,  in 
doing  which  these  three  things  require  to  be  kept  in  view : 
first,  to  have  it  easy  of  access  for  getting  your  materials  to  it ; 
second,  easy  of  access  with  your  water , and  third,  easy  of  access 
to  your  walls.  Probably  in  no  one  thing,  in  this  mode  of  build- 
ing, can  a greater  saving  be  effected,  than  in  the  best  place  for 
this  bed.  In  building  by  this  method,  the  first  thing  should  be 
to  provide  water,  and  if  you  have  to  dig  a well  for  your  house, 


PLACING  AND  WORKING  THE  MORTAR-BED. 


25 


dig  it  to  begin  with,  and  use  its  water  for  your  lime-bed,  because 
a great  deal  of  it  will  be  required.  After  placing  my  mortar- 
bed,  and  arranging  the  water,  a hogshead  of  which  I always  had 
standing  by  the  side  of  the  bed,  I deposited  my  lime,  and  found 
about  six  or  eight  wheel-barrows  of  this  coarse,  slacked  lime,  would 
make  up  as  large  an  amount  as  my  bed  would  hold.  I then 
poured  in  water,  not  merely  enough  to  wet  the  lime,  but  so  that 
the  whole  mass  would  be  as  thin  as  milk,  and  stirred  it  up  com- 
pletely, so  as  to  amalgamate  the  water  and  lime  together ; I then 
wheeled  in  sand,  and  had  one  hand  at  the  bed  to  stir  the  sand 
into  this  lime-water,  as  it  was  wheeled  into  the  bed.  One  man 
would  thus  stir  for  about  four  or  five  wheelers,  he  moving  the 
plank  which  crosses  the  bed,  and  telling  them  in  what  part  of  the 
bed  to  deposit  it.  To  eight  barrows  of  lime,  I usually  wheeled  in 
from  sixteen  to  eighteen  barrows  of  sand.  If  the  sand  made  it  too 
thick  to  completely  incorporate  sand,  water,  and  lime  as  fast  as 
it  was  brought  in,  it  was  spread  over  the  top  about  evenly,  and 
when  the  sand  was  all  in,  wheelers  and  all  would  begin  at  one 
corner,  hoe  the  contents  back  toward  them,  throw  in  two  or  three 
pails  of  water,  if  required,  or  enough  water  to  enable  them  com- 
pletely to  mix  the  lime  and  sand  together,  and  then  throw  it  up 
into  this  vacant  corner,  and  so  keep  adding  water,  while  they 
shovel  over  this  lime  and  sand,  so  as  completely  to  mix  them,  and 
then  throw  it  back  toward  this  corner,  Some  fifteen  or  twenty 
minutes  would  suffice  to  completely  mix  the  lime  and  sand  to- 
gether, and  when  finished,  it  would  be  left  so  thin  as  to  follow  the 
men  about  as  fast  as  they  worked  back  toward  the  opposite 
corner.  I speak  of  this  thinness,  because  lime  mixes  so  much 
better,  when  a large  amount  of  water  is  used,  than  when  it  is 
rather  dry. 

This  operation  completed,  there  was  now  a vacancy  at  the  op- 
posite corner  from  where  we  started.  Into  this  corner  1 would 
now  set  four  or  five  men  to  wheeling  the  slate,  chips,  and  materials 
above  described,  while  the  hand  in  the  bed  would  spread  each 
barrowful,  as  it  came  in,  and  threw  over  three  or  four  shovelfuls 
of  this  thin  lime  and  sand.  After  a few  barrows  had  come  in, 
they  would  be  able  to  spread  their  coarse  rubble  stones,  as  they 
dumped  it  by  running  the  barrow  up  to  the  top  of  the  pile,  and 

2 


26 


THE  GRAVEL-WALL  PLAN. 


dumping  it  along  down  its  sides.  I would  now  wheel  in  from 
sixty  to  eighty  barrows  of  these  coarse  rubble  stones,  making 
something  like  a hundred  or  more  barrows  of  coarse  slate-stones 
and  sand  to  these  eight  barrows  of  lime,  and  these  eight  barrows 
of  slacked  lime  were  equal  to  about  two,  or  two  and  a half,  of 
good  stone  lime,  making  from  thirty  to  forty  parts  of  gravel  and 
stone  to  one  of  stone  lime. 

J,  however,  admit  that  this  is  too  little  lime  in  proportion,  and 
yet  I made  many  beds  with  even  less  lime,  relatively,  than  here 
specified.  To  one  bed  of  eight  barrows  of  lime,  I put  one  hundred 
and  twenty  of  other  materials.  Still,  I did  this  more  to  try  how 
little  lime  would  answer,  than  from  any  motives  of  economy,  and 
should  recommend  that  about  one  barrow  or  barrel  of  stone  and 
lime,  to  twenty,  twenty-five,  or  thirty  barrels  or  barrows  of  sand 
and  stone.  Yet,  as  already  observed,  the  less  coarse  stones  and 
more  fine  sand,  the  more  lime  will  be  required.  And  for  this 
reason : to  give  a stone  as  big  as  a man’s  head  contact,  it  is  re- 
quisite that  it  be  coated  with  lime ; whereas,  if  broken  up  into 
sandy  particles,  each  particle  has  to  be  coated,  in  order  to  make 
them  stick  to  another,  so  that  it  requires  much  more  lime  for  a 
stone  broken  up  than  not  broken.  Hence,  the  coarser  the  mate- 
rial, the  less  lime  will  answer.  In  my  first  and  second  stories,  I 
used  more  lime  than  specified  above,  but  became  fully  satisfied 
that  less  would  answer  just  about  as  well.  In  putting  up  my 
third  story  I drew  only  250  bushels,  costing  $11  25.  I built  out 
of  it  two  sides  of  a cistern,  2 feet  thick  at  bottom,  18  inches 
thick  at  top,  12  feet  one  way,  and  10  the  other,  and  9 feet  deep. 

I erected  two  or  three  fourteen  feet  pillars,  and  used  some  of  it 
for  some  other  purposes,  and  had  a little  left  when  the  story  was 
done.  That  story  was  12  feet  and  8 inches  high,  1 foot  thick,  and 
256  feet  in  circumference.  Of  course  I estimated  that  it  took 
somewhere  between  nine  and  ten  dollars’  worth  of  lime  for  the 
story.  On  inquiring  how  much  lime  had  been  drawn,  and  esti- 
mating the  amount  used,  I was  perfectly  astonished  that  I had 
used  so  little,  and  the  more  so  when  the  workmen  and  visitors 
criticised  the  honey-comb  appearance  of  the  wall,  and  prophesied 
that  such  a wall  positively  could  not  stand.  Still,  there  it  stands, 
subject  to  the  inspection  of  any  who  please  to  examine  it.  In  put- 


PLACING-  AND  WORKING  THE  MORTAR-BED. 


27 


ting  up  my  next  story,  which  was  11  feet  2 inches  high,  and  10 
inches  thick,  1 thought  I would  be  a little  more  liberal  in  the  amount 
of  lime  used,  especially  since  even  a liberal  supply  would  cost  but 
a comparative  trifle,  and  on  footing  up  the  cost  of  this  story,  found 
it  to  be  only  $10,  that  is,  less  than  250  bushels  of  slacked  lime,  yet 
according  to  my  best  judgment,  60  or  70  bushels  of  good  stone 
lime  would  have  done  the  work  quite  as  well.  Indeed,  I could 
hardly  believe  but  that  I had  made  some  mistake  in  estimating 
the  lime  in  the  story  below,  until  my  estimate  of  the  lime  used 
in  this  story  confirmed  my  previous  reckoning.  Let  the  reader 
figure  up  the  amount  of  square  feet  in  the  wall,  and  he  will  see 
that  here  is  sufficient  material  to  build  a house  two  stories  and  a 
half  high,  of  ordinary  distance  between  joints,  and  20  by  40  feet 
sides.  Of  course,  in  many  places,  a higher  price  would  have  to  be 
paid  for  the  lime  than  I paid  for  mine,  perhaps  20,  possibly  even 
50  per  cent.,  yet  this  would  only  take  from  fifteen  to  twenty  dol- 
lars’ worth  of  lime,  for  a two  and  a half  story  house,  20  by  40. 
Over  the  whole  West,  the  usual  price  of  lime  is  about  12  cents 
per  bushel  for  stone  lime;  and  as  one  bushel  unslacked  will  make 
about  two  and  a half  to  three  when  slacked,  its  cost  will  vary 
scarcely  a fraction  from  what  I paid.  I would  suggest  that  those 
who  are  any  way  timid  or  cautious  in  this  matter,  allow  about 
one  part  of  good  stone  lime,  to  20  parts  of  sand  and  stones. 

One  additional  word  about  the  mode  of  mixing.  Let  the  super- 
intendent of  the  building  simply  use  his  own  common  sense.  I 
have  described  the  way  I found  most  advisable.  Others  may  find 
other  ways,  devised  by  their  own  causality,  just  as  good. 

But  let  us  now  return  to  our  bed  as  left,  namely,  formed  of  in- 
termediate layers  of  these  coarse  stones  and  gravel,  and  sand  and 
lime.  Our  next  object  is  to  prepare  this  for  the  wall,  and  de- 
posit it  therein.  Thus  far,  our  materials  are  not  fairly  mixed, 
only  deposited  in  layers,  preparatory  to  this  process.  My  mode 
of  mixing  was  this.  Adding  a little  water  so  as  to  make  it  as 
thin  as  it  well  could  be  and  shovel  without  spilling  ; to  shovel  it 
over  about  twice  in  this  bed,  then  shovel  it  into  the  tub,  making 
three  shovelings  or  mixings.  This  tub  was  then  hauled  above  by 
horse  and  tackle,  and  emptied  into  another  smaller  mortar-bed, 
which  dumping  was  equal  to  a fourth  shovel.  This  was  shoveled 


28 


THE  GRAVEL-WALL  PLAN 


into  the  barrow  to  be  wheeled  to  the  walls,  and  from  the  barrow 
shoveled  into  the  wall,  which  made  it  equal  to  six  shovelings,  so 
that  while  getting  it  to  its  place,  we  were  also  duly  mixing  it. 
When  we  first  began,  we  mixed  it  in  the  bed  by  working  it  over 
and  over,  something  as  we  would  work  mortar-beds,  but  found  it 
so  hard  and  difficult  that  we  naturally  adopted  this  process  of 
shoveling  it  over  just  described.  If  you  have  no  such  tub  for 
hauling,  of  course  you  will  shovel  it  over  twice  more  before  throw- 
ing into  your  barrow,  but  my  own  observation  and  experience  have 
prepossessed  me  in  favor  of  the  tub  and  tackle.  Yet  before  rig- 
ging my  tub  and  tackle,  I adopted  a method  somewhat  as  follows : 
Taking  a 12  feet  board,  16  or  18  inches  wide,  and  sawing  it  in  two 
in  the  middle,  I placed  these  pieces  side  by  side,  and  surrounded 
them  by  scantling,  2 by  4,  thus  making  a small  mortar-bed.  I 
then  set  this  bed  up  on  four  legs,  perhaps  7 feet  high,  wheeled 
from  the  mortar-bed  and  shoveled  up  on  to  this  bed,  and  from 
this  bed  up  into  the  walls,  moving  it  as  occasion  required.  Some- 
times I would  set  a couple  of  horses,  such  as  masons  use,  throw 
some  floor  timbers  across,  put  one  of  these  small  mortar-beds, 
without  legs,  upon  this  scantling,  and  wheel  from  the  mortar-bed, 
find  shovel  up  into  this  small  bed,  and  from  this  into  the  wall. 
To  various  contrivances  of  this  sort  I resorted,  and  on  one  oc- 
casion I erected  four  or  five  small  beds,  one  right  above  another 
had  one  shoveler  shovel  over  once  and  wet  the  material,  and 
shovel  it  up  to  the  second,  he  to  the  third,  and  the  last  one  shovel- 
ing it  into  a ban*ow,  to  be  wheeled  to  its  destination.  These 
small  movable  beds  I found  very  greatly  to  facilitate  work,  but 
his  was  before  I rigged  my  tackle  and  tub. 

The  number  of  hands  required  to  work  to  advantage  is  from 
’ ve  to  seven,  yet  three  can  do  quite  well.  One  is  wanted  to  do 
dd  jobs  and  errands,  provide  water,  bring  and  carry  tools,  or  be 
waiter  generally.  One,  and  that  your  best  hand,  is  wanted  in  the 
mortar-bed,  and  he  should  be  told,  “ never  mind  your  boots  ; when 
the  lime  eats  them  up  I will  get  you  more.”  He  must  go  right 
into  the  thin  lime  and  mortar,  must  stir  the  water  in  with  the 
lime  and  sand,  must  shovel  this  lime  and  sand  in  with  the  coarse 
materials  as  they  are  wheeled  into  the  bed,  and  finally  must  shovel 
over  these  same  materials,  and  fit  and  temper  them  for  the  wall. 


COST  OF  THE  GRAVEL-WALL, 


29 


1 have  often  mentioned  barrows.  Of  these,  three  are  as  few  as 
will  work  to  advantage  ; one  being  required  to  wheel  materials 
into  the  bed  while  it  is  being  worked,  thereby  tempering  it,  some- 
times adding  a little  lime,  then  coarse  stones,  and  at  another  time, 
fine  sand,  according  as  the  bed  works,  and  two  are  required  to 
carry  the  material  to  the  wall.  The  second  hand  also  fills  the 
tub,  or  the  barrows  when  the  tub  is  not  used.  A third  will  be 
required  to  empty  the  tub  above,  and  fill  the  barrows,  and  a fourth 
to  wheel  these  barrows  to,  and  shovel  their  contents  into  the  wall, 
while  a fifth  will  be  required  to  stand  on  the  wall  and  stow  away 
the  contents,  pack  down  where  packing  is  required,  place  the  big 
stones,  and  see  that  every  thing  is  placed  just  as  it  should  be. 
This  last  place  should  be  filled  by  the  boss  of  the  wall.  Occu- 
pying this  position,  he  can  see  whether  the  material  comes  as  fast 
as  it  should,  and  if  not,  should  inquire  into  and  rectify  the  cause 
of  delay  ; can  also  see  whether  the  material  will  bear  more  stones 
or  sand,  or  require  more  lime,  see  that  the  boards  are  properly 
placed,  which  requires  good  judgment  and  an  accurate  eye. 
Another  hand  is  required  to  rig  scaffolding,  properly  place  the 
box  boards  (of  which  presently),  setting  up  and  plumbing  the 
window  and  door  frames,  and  do  up  the  general  carpenter’s  work 
required.  Any  important  building  requires  its  carpenter,  and  this 
should  be  the  duty  of  this  carpenter  while  the  walls  are  going  up; 
still,  a small  house  can  be  built  without  the  constant  employment  of 
a carpenter,  provided  the  owner  gets  his  window-frames  made,  and 
has  an  accurate  eye,  skillful  hand,  and  a good  common-sense  mind. 

12.  RELATIVE  COST  OF  THE  GRAVEL-WALL. 

One  important  feature  in  this  mode  of  building  is  now  rendered 
apparent,  namely,  that  this  material  is  handled  mainly  by  the 
shovel,  and  of  course  handled  a great  deal  faster  than  by  the 
mason.  He  is  obliged  to  spend  considerable  time  in  plumbing 
his  corners,  and  then  in  placing  his  lines,  and  also  in  working  with 
exactness  to  his  lines,  and  after  all  is  obliged  to  place  one  brick 
at  a time,  and  use  a little  mortar  between,  whereas,  by  the  method 
we  are  describing,  the  whole  mass  is  handled  just  as  rapidly  as 
the  shovel  can  be  plied  back  and  forth,  and  one  hand  will  turn 


30 


THE  GRAVEL- WALL  PLAN. 


over  an  immense  pile  of  these  materials  in  a day.  The  difference 
between  shoveling  a barrow  load  pell-mell  into  the  wall,  just  as 
fast  as  you  can  throw  it,  and  between  laying  the  same  amount  of 
material,  brick  by  brick,  and  one  trowel  full  of  mortar  between 
each,  besides  taking  time  to  spread  the  latter  all  so  nicely,  is  great. 
And  then,  too,  this  shoveling  can  be  done  by  the  commonest 
hands,  whom  you  would  pay  from  $10  to  $15  per  month,  whereas, 
brick  must  be  laid  by  men  who  command  $1  50  to  $2  50  per 
day ; a bricklayer  costing  some  three  times  as  much  as  the  com- 
mon laborer,  and  yet,  not  depositing  a quarter  as  fast.  The 
reader  will  please  notice  how  very  great  the  saving  effected  by 
this  mode  of  forming  wall,  over  and  above  the  brick  and  mortar 
mode.  Nor  can  it  with  propriety  be  urged  that  the  cost  of  get- 
ting the  material  ready  for  this  gravel  wall,  is  greater  than  for  the 
brick,  for  have  not  the  brick  and  mortar  to  be  carried  to  their 
places,  just  as  much  as  this  gravel  and  lime?  And  pray,  how 
much  more  will  it  cost  to  get  our  materials  to  the  spot,  than  to 
get  brick  and  mortar  to  the  scaffold  ready  for  the  mason ? Will 
it  not  cost  considerably  less  ? And  does  not  our  mode  of  scaffold- 
ing cost  much  less  than  his?  He  must  be  tended,  and  in  my 
opinion,  the  materials  for  the  gravel  wall  can  be  all  deposited  in 
the  wall  cheaper  than  the  mason  can  be  merely  tended. 

It  will  not  take  as  much  lime  to  build  a given  amount  of  wall, 
by  this  method,  as  to  make  the  mortar  for  a brick  wall.  It  will 
take  less  labor  to  mix  these  materials,  than  to  mix  the  mortar  for 
the  mason,  and  these  materials  can  be  carried  to  their  places  easier 
than  the  brick  and  mortar  can  be  carried  to  the  mason,  so  that  we 
save  mason’s  wages  and  cost  of  brick,  which  are  the  main  items  of 
cost  in  a brick  wall,  for  every  stone  in  a gravel  wall  answers  just 
as  good  a purpose  as  the  same  amount  of  brick.  A pile  of  these 
coarse  rubble  stones  will  go  just  as  far  in  our  wall,  as  the  same 
amount  of  brick  will  in  a brick  wall,  and  in  every  respect  is  worth 
just  as  much.  The  reader  will  now  perceive  why  we  claim  so 
much  superiority  in  cheapness  in  our  wall,  over  brick  or  wood. 
Brick  have  to  be  carted,  and  in  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a hundred, 
these  rubble  stones  can  be  carted  a good  deal  cheaper  than  brick, 
and  where  they  are  dug  right  out  of  the  cellar,  even  carting  of  the 
brick,  as  well  as  their  cost,  together  with  the  cost  of  laying,  is 


FOUNDATIONS. 


31 


saved.  All  about  it  which  costs  is  the  lime,  which  we  have  just 
seen  to  be  a mere  trifle,  and  the  labor  of  mixing  and  getting  the 
materials  to  their  places,  which  can  be  done  by  the  commonest 
hands. 


13.  FOUNDATIONS. 

Having  now  described  the  material,  and  its  mode  of  mixing, 
we  proceed  next  to  speak  of  the  foundation,  and  manner  of  placing 
the  boards,  for  the  reception  of  this  material.  This  foundation 
may  be  the  same  as  for  any  other  house.  Of  course  it  requires 
to  be  solid,  and  should  be  set  so  deeply  into  the  ground,  that  frost 
will  never  heave  it,  and  be  so  guarded  and  solid  at  the  base,  as 
never  to  settle,  for  wherever  the  foundation  gives,  of  course  the 
building  must  crack,  whether  brick,  stone,  or  wood.  My  own 
house  is  founded  mainly  on  solid  rock,  but  where  this  can  not  be 
had,  a trench  should  be  dug,  three,  four,  or  five  feet  deep — flag- 
stones the  width  of  the  wall,  or  even  wider,  and  as  long  as  may 
be,  or  other  large  solid  stones  laid  in  the  bottom,  and  the  ordi- 
nary mode  of  building  foundations  be  adopted.  From  experience 
I have  nothing  to  say  respecting  the  foundation  peculiar  to  this 
plan,  as  differing  from  the  ordinary  method,  yet  I have  a sugges- 
tion to  make,  or  rather  to  say  what  I would  do  if  I were  to  build 
again.  I should  employ  water-lime,  or  cement,  in  place  of  com- 
mon lime,  and  after  laying  a few  stones  at  the  bottom,  should 
make  the  compost  exactly  as  described  above,  excepting  the  addi- 
tion of  as  many  large  stones  as  possible,  and  a free  use  of  water- 
lime,  or  cement,  in  place  of  lime.  Of  course  this  water-lime  must 
not  be  mixed  till  just  as  you  are  ready  to  throw  it  into  the  trench. 
It  should  be  thrown  on  to  your  pile  of  stones  and  sand,  shoveled 
over  two  or  three  times,  so  as  to  mix  the  two  together  com- 
pletely, while  in  a dry  state,  then  wet,  and  carried  to  your  wah 
and  deposited,  because  it  sets  rapidly,  and  that  set  once  broken, 
its  value  is  spoiled.  If  told  that  the  frost  will  spoil  it,  I reply 
that  while  frost  spoils  a thin  coating  of  it,  it  will  not  injure  a 
solid  wall.  Besides,  frost  does  not  break  its  set,  only  occasion- 
ally makes  cracks,  yet  even  in  this  case,  I do  not  see  that  these 
cracks  would  materially  injure  the  foundation.  At  all  events,  I 
should  try  it  and  run  the  risk,  or  if  afraid  of  frost,  a single  tier  of 


32 


THE  GRAVEL-WALL  PLAN. 


brick,  laid  from  the  ground  up  to  the  top  of  the  foundation,  all 
around  the  outside  of  the  wall,  would  prevent  the  frost  from  doing 
any  damage.  Builders  in  New  York  use  this  cement  largely  for 
foundations.  Of  course  it  is  quite  as  suitable  for  foundations 
when  mixed  with  the  materials  just  described  as  when  used  in 
any  other  way. 

If  your  ground  is  easy  to  dig,  and  soil  sufficiently  solid  to 
allow  it,  you  can  dig  your  trench  exactly  the  size  you  would  have 
your  wall,  mix  your  cement  with  your  gravel  and  coarse  stones, 
and  dump  the  whole  mass  right  in  from  your  barrow,  without 
even  waiting  to  shovel  it  in ; or  if  you  prefer  to  dig  your  cellar 
first,  after  the  dirt  has  all  been  thrown  out,  erect  boards  on  one 
side,  and  let  the  ground  form  the  other  side  of  this  foundation 
wall.  Still,  not  having  had  experience  in  this  respect,  I speak 
only  from  conjecture.  But  about  the  depth  of  your  cellars,  and 
the  height  of  your  foundation,  I would  remark  that  my  own  taste 
favors  raising  the  foundation  some  two  or  three  feet  above  ground, 
instead  of  digging  down  very  deep.  Your  cellars  should  be  light, 
and  well  ventilated.  Nothing  can  be  more  unhealthy  than  for 
vegetables  to  decay  in  a deep  cellar,  where  there  is  no  chance  for 
ventilation.  The  effluvia  and  the  poisonous  gases,  generated  by 
the  decomposed  masses,  ascend  through  the  floor  and  corrupt  the 
air  which  you  and  your  children  are  to  breathe,  whereas,  if  your 
houses  are  sufficiently  high,  and  windows  arranged  so  that  the 
open  air  can  sweep  through,  you  will  save  your  doctor’s  bills. 
Nor  should  the  cellar  be  a little  pit  hole  under  one  corner  of  your 
house,  but  should  embrace  the  entire  room  under  that  house,  for 
the  entire  cellar  story  can  be  made  most  useful  for  one  purpose 
or  another,  and  is  at  least  worth  the  small  extra  trouble  of  its  con- 
struction. Your  foundation  you  are  obliged  to  build,  and  to  place 
it  some  three  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Then,  by 
carrying  it  three  or  four  feet  above,  your  house  is  well  set  up, 
protected  against  wet,  out  of  the  mud,  and  your  basement  stories 
can  now  be  lighted,  and  thus  rendered  available  for  many  do- 
mestic purposes.  If  you  choose  to  settle  your  foundation  four 
feet,  and  carry  your  wall  two  feet  above  the  ground,  you  are 
scarcely  in  danger  from  frost,  have  cool  cellars,  and  very  pleasant 
ones,  but  of  these  things  every  builder  must  judge  for  himself. 


MODE  OF  PLACING-  THE  BOARDS  FOR  BOXES. 


33 


14.  MODE  OF  PLACING  THE  BOARDS  FOR  BOXES. 

This  involves  the  most  important  point  connected  with  this 
mode  of  building.  Mr.  Goodrich’s  mode  was  to  use  one  tier  of 
boards,  and  to  nail  them  on  to  scantling  or  standards,  and  keep 
them  from  spreading  by  braces,  deposit  his  material  between 
these  boards,  wait  for  it  to  harden,  which  usually  took  some 
twenty-four  hours,  and  then  raise  the  boards  a tier  higher.  I have 
adopted  various  modes.  At  first,  I made  tapering  sticks,  perhaps 
a couple  of  inches  square,  and  a little  longer  than  the  wall  is  wide, 
having  a notch  on  one  end,  and  keyhole  at  the  other.  I placed 
these  across  the  wall,  set  my  boards  on  to  those  sticks,  allowing 
the  board  on  one  side  to  set  into  this  notch,  so  as  to  keep  it  from 
spreading  at  the  bottom,  and  drive  a key  into  the  hole  on  the 
opposite  side,  so  as  to  keep  the  other  side  board  from  spreading, 
and  prevented  the  top  from  spreading  by  making  a couple  of  notches 
in  a piece  of  board,  perhaps  an  inch  thick,  and  two  inches  wide, 
and  setting  these  two  notches  down  on  to  the  top  of  the  boards. 
These  sticks  thus  left  in  the  wall  are  easily  knocked  out  and  used 
over  again.  This  kept  their  top  from  spreading,  but  I found  it 
very  difficult  to  keep  the  wall  true,  and  very  laborious  to  hoist 
these  boards,  which  I usually  did  after  they  had  remained  about 
twenty-four  hours,  and  so  adopted  for  the  upper  walls  the  fol- 
lowing plan : 

I took  scantling,  two  by  three,  or  two  by  four,  sawed  them  off 
so  that  their  length  would  correspond  with  the  proposed  height 
of  the  wall,  and  set  one  row  of  these  scantlings  on  each  side  of  the 
wall,  but  within  it,  and  placing  them  usually  some  ten,  twelve, 
or  fourteen  feet  apart,  bracing  these  scantling  firmly,  and  nailing 
the  boards  to  them,  so  that  they  would  remain  in  the  wall. 
Window  and  door  frames,  of  course,  served  the  same  purpose 
with  these  scantling.  I usually  placed  one  of  these  scantling  at 
each  outside  corner,  so  that  when  the  wall  was  complete,  it  would 
form  that  corner,  and  plastered  the  finishing  coat  right  over  them, 
first  driving  lath  nails  in,  to  hold  the  plaster.  I can  occasionally 
see  a small  check  along  the  line  of  these  scantling,  and  in  build- 
ing again,  should  have  this  corner  scantling  just  outside  the  wall, 
so  that  the  boards  would  come  between  this  scantling  and  the 

2* 


34 


THE  GRAVEL-WALL  PLAN. 


gravel.  It  is  difficult  to  have  any  except  the  corner  ones  outside 
the  wall,  because  your  boards  require  to  be  hoisted,  whereas,  if 
these  boards  were  between  the  material  and  the  scantling,  such 
hoisting  would  be  difficult.  And  then  this  scantling  in  the  wall 
serves  the  purpose  of  steadying  it  until  it  becomes  hardened.  To 
a wall  of  32  feet,  I had  three  scantling  on  each  side,  yet  as  the 
corner  connected  two,  it  furnished  me  four  places  for  nailing  the 
boards.  My  middle  story  had  only  two,  one  at  each  corner,  and 
one  in  the  middle,  and  for  aught  I know,  answered  just  as  good  a 
purpose.  Wherever  I had  a portico,  I usually  braced  them  from 
the  outside,  that  is,  from  the  portico,  because,  when  braced  from 
the  inside,  they  interfered  too  much  with  my  wheel-barrows, 
but  where  there  was  no  portico,  I braced  both  the  outside  and 
inside  ones  to  the  floor  timbers.  It  is  a material  point  to  have 
these  standards,  as  I call  them,  firmly  braced,  for  after  your  wall 
becomes  eight  or  ten  feet  high,  if  it  should  begin  to  sag  a little, 
the  pressure  would  be  considerable.  In  this  respect,  I was  too 
careless,  so  that  my  walls  settled  in  from  one  to  three  inches  at 
the  top,  which  of  course  I had  to  fill  out  with  fine  mortar.  I 
pushed  and  braced  some  of  them  back  to  their  places  before  put- 
ting on  the  floor  timbers,  thus  keeping  the  wall  straight.  Straight- 
ening it  after  it  has  sagged  is  easy,  yet  a very  material  point, 
for  the  outside  of  a house  must  needs  be  straight,  else  it  will  look 
badly  ; and  if  these  standards  and  boards  are  properly  secured, 
it  is  easy  to  make  your  wall  perfectly  straight.  In  my  middle 
story,  my  haste  prevented  my  looking  duly  to  this  point,  yet 
found  it  easily  remedied,  simply  by  a little  attention  at  the  proper 
time. 

The  mode  of  procedure,  then,  touching  this  point,  is  simply 
this  : after  you  have  prepared  your  foundation,  laid  your  floor 
timbers,  placed  your  standards,  and  are  ready  for  your  walls,  pro- 
cure common  pine  box  boards,  an  inch  in  thickness,  or  more  if 
you  like,  and  as  near  a given  width  as  may  be,  and  cut  them  off 
to  the  length  required  for  your  wall.  Thus,  suppose  your  wall  is 
32  feet  on  the  outside;  you  can  easily  procure  16  feet  boards,  so 
that  two  lengths  will  serve  for  the  outside  wall.  Of  course,  the 
inside  boards  must  be  shortened  a trifle,  according  to  the  thick- 
ness of  your  wall,  which  should  be  estimated,  and  your  boards 


MODE  OF  PLACING  THE  BOARDS  FOR  BOXES. 


35 


made  to  correspond  in  the  start.  Of  these  boards  it  is  well  to 
have  at  least  two  tiers,  and  perhaps  three  is  still  better.  Suppose 
your  house  to  be  32  feet  square,  or  an  octagon  of  16  feet  sides,  it 
will  take  about  250  feet  in  length  to  make  a tier  all  around  your 
house,  and  if  these  boards  are  18  inches  wide,  and  you  have  two 
tiers,  it  will  require  about  700  feet,  or  from  ten  to  twelve  dollars’ 
worth  of  these  boards.  But  when  they  have  served  this  purpose, 
they  can  be  used  as  waste  boards,  for  many  other  valuable 
purposes  about  the  building,  and  perhaps  used  for  roofing.  They 
should  then  be  cleated,  to  prevent  their  warping,  perhaps  at  each 
end  and  in  the  middle  will  be  sufficient.  Then  one  tier  should 
be  nailed  on  to  these  standards,  yet  the  nails  should  not  be  driven 
completely  in,  but  a half  inch  or  so  should  be  left  out,  so  that  the 
claw  of  your  hammer  will  easily  draw  them,  when  required  to  be 
raised.  But  these  boards  will  be  likely  to  spread  in  the  middle, 
which  is  easily  obviated,  by  taking  any  small,  thin,  waste  boards, 
laying  them  across  the  top  of  the  board,  every  four  or  six  feet 
apart,  and  driving  a nail  down  through  these  cross  pieces,  into 
each  box  board.  These  nails  should  be  set  slanting  outwardly, 
so  that  the  bottom  of  the  next  board  to  be  put  gn  shall  just  strike 
this  nail.  Thus,  the  bottom  of  each  tier  of  boards  will  be  kept 
from  spreading  by  these  nails,  driven  into  these  cross  pieces. 
This  mode  of  putting  up  these  boxes  is  simple,  and  can  be  done 
by  any  common  man  who  has  an  accurate  eye  and  tolerably  good 
ingenuity.  Indeed,  my  common  laboring  men  have  often  put  up 
these  boards  as  well  as  the  carpenter,  yet  he  always  placed  the 
standards,  and  still,  any  body  can  plumb  them  and  brace  them 
when  thus  plumbed,  so  that  a tolerably  ingenious  man  can  put 
up  all  of  his  own  house,  from  cellar  to  garret,  and  the  more  native 
ingenuity  and  judgment  he  has,  the  better  walls  he  will  make. 
These  boards  thus  placed,  the  material  for  the  wall  before  de- 
scribed may  be  wheeled  and  shoveled  in  between  them,  or  into 
the  boxes  thus  formed.  Still,  it  should  be  shoveled  in  so  care- 
fully as  not  to  displace  the  boards,  or  break  these  cross  pieces. 
But,  if  perchance  a board  should  become  displaced,  your  true 
policy  will  be  to  stop  at  once,  take  off  your  board,  push  off  your 
wall  material  till  you  come  down  to  where  it  is  true,  replace 
your  boards,  and  go  on.  I mention  this,  because,  in  several  in- 


36 


THE  GRAVEL-WALL  PLAN 


stances  in  my  own  house,  where  a board  had  sprung  out,  instead 
of  stopping  to  fix  it  at  the  time,  I Jet  it  pass,  but  found  when  the 
wall  come  to  be  finished,  that  that  bulge  had  to  be  hewed  down, 
and  I might  almost  as  well  have  undertaken  to  hew  down  solid 
stone.  After  one  tier  of  boards  has  been  filled,  nail  on  your 
second,  and  fill  them,  then  take  off  your  first  tier,  and  nail  on  for 
your  third,  then  the  second,  and  nail  on  for  the  fourth,  and  so  on. 

15.  SCAFFOLDING. 

If  your  walls  do  not  exceed  nine  or  ten  feet  high,  a good  shov- 
eler  can  manage  to  shovel  the  material  into  the  wall  without  any 
scaffolding.  He  can  get  accustomed  to  throw  the  stuff  so  that  it 
will  fall  over  into  the  box,  yet  this  involves  a great  deal  of  hard 
work,  so  that  even  for  a wall  only  ten  feet  high,  scaffolding  is 
desirable.  I effected  mine  as  follows : Taking  two  by  three,  or 
two  by  four  scantling,  I made  horses  about  four  or  five  feet  high, 
just  such  as  the  mason  would  make  for  plastering  over  head,  and 
after  these  horses  have  served  this  purpose,  they  can  serve  for 
plastering,  and  threw  floor  timber  across  these  horses,  about 
three  or  four  abreast,  on  which  I wheel  the  stuff  all  around  the 
building  with  ease.  The  true  policy  is  to  carry  the  entire  wall 
up  at  once , and  yet,  if  you  must  work  on  a small  scale,  you  can 
carry  up  your  wall  between  two  doors,  or  two  windows,  as  high 
as  you  go,  then  take  another  section,  between  two  other  doors  or 
windows,  by  which  plan  you  can  move  your  scaffolding  from  one 
section  to  another,  but  all  this  will  depend  on  how  many  hands 
you  have.  With  two  or  three  tiers  of  boards,  you  can  carry  up 
your  wall  as  fast  as  you  please.  I built  my  upper  wall,  ready 
for  the  floor  timbers,  in  seven  days.  Still,  when  not  hurried,  it 
is  probably  better  to  take  the  matter  more  leisurely,  in  which 
case  there  will  be  less  danger  of  the  walls  falling  while  green. 
But  with  two  tier  of  boards,  there  is  very  little  danger  of  their 
jailing.  Yet  in  case  a wall  should  fall,  there  your  material  is, 
requiring  only  to  be  shoveled  back  to  your  bed,  re-wet,  and 
wheeled  again  to  your  wall.  One  of  my  upper  inside  walls  I 
had  carried  right  up  in  the  course  of  a forenoon.  After  it  had 
stood  some  two  or  three  days,  the  carpenter  removed  some  of  the 


WIDTH  OF  WALLS  AND  THEIR  SOLIDITY. 


37 


bottom  boards,  when  the  wall  caved  in  and  fell  to  the  bottom, 
because  the  surplus  water  of  the  wall  had  settled  down,  and  the 
boards  had  prevented  the  wall  from  drying  or  setting,  whereas, 
if  the  first  tier  had  been  allowed  to  dry,  such  an  occurrence  would 
not  have  taken  place.  But  there  my  stuff  was,  close  to  my 
mortar-bed,  easily  shoveled  back,  re-wet,  shoveled  into  the 
tub,  and  another  half  day  put  it  back  again  to  its  place.  The 
only  time  this  kind  of  wall  can  fall,  is  before  it  gets  fairly  set. 
Once  hardened,  it  becomes  more  and  still  more  solid  from  age  to 
age,  this  being  the  nature  of  all  lime  and  sand  composts. 

16.  WIDTH  OF  WALLS  AND  THEIR  SOLIDITY. 

My  outer  walls  are  as  follows:  the  ground  story  9 feet  high, 
and  18  inches  thick;  second  story,  14  feet  high,  and  16  inches 
thick  ; third  story,  12  feet  high,  and  12  inches  thick  ; upper  story, 
10J  feet  high,  and  10  inches  thick.  The  11  feet  2 inches  else- 
where mentioned  includes  the  wall  to  the  bottom  of  the  floor 
timbers,  which  are  8 inches  wide.  Yet,  if  1 were  to  build  again, 
1 should  deem  it  abundantly  strong  to  make  the  first  story  14 
inches,  the  second  12,  the  third  10,  and  fourth  8.  The  coat 
of  plastering,  outside  and  in,  of  course,  somewhat  increases  this 
thickness,  and  greatly  strengthens  the  wall : still,  the  additional 
cost  of  a wide  wall  over  a narrow  one  is  comparatively  trifling, 
and  1 therefore  recommend  the  extra  timid  to  make  it  thick 
enough.  If  I were  to  build  a two-story  house,  1 should  make  my 
basement  wall  one  foot,  my  main  story  wall  10  inches,  and  the 
upper  one  8 ; yet  should  not  hesitate  at  all  to  risk  the  lower 
story  at  8 inches  thick,  and  the  upper  at  6 ; and  I base  this  infer- 
ence on  the  solidity  of  my  own  walls.  The  inside  walls  of  my 
first  story  are  a foot  thick,  and  of  my  second  8 inches.  Now,  my 
second  story  inside  wall  is  about  35  feet  long,  14  feet  high,  and 
only  8 inches  thick,  and  yet  it  sustains  the  pressure  of  two  stories 
and  the  roof.  Of  course,  if  it  were  shorter,  or  lower,  it  would  be 
stronger.  Here  is  a long,  high  wall,  only  8 inches  thick,  yet  it 
supports  the  downward  pressure  of  the  floors  and  partitions  of  two 
stories  and  a roof,  and  the  distance  between  these  walls  is  22  feet. 
And  what  is  still  more,  the  pressure  from  above  comes  down 


38 


THE  GRAVEL-WALL  PLAN. 


on  posts,  8 feet  apart,  and  these  posts,  placed  right  on  the  top 
of  this  high  narrow  wall,  are  held  perfectly  solid,  These  walls, 
with  this  tremendous  pressure  on  these  points,  evince  not  the 
slightest  jar,  not  the  slightest  crack,  and,  of  all  the  houses  1 have 
ever  been  in,  I have  never  found  any  as  solid  as  my  upper 
stories.  There  those  stories  are.  Let  the  incredulous  inspect 
them  for  themselves,  and  let  that  fact  attest  the  solidity  of  this 
mode  of  building.  Of  course,  the  less  honey-comb  openings  there 
are  in  the  wall,  the  more  solid,  but  of  this,  the  reader  may  rest 
assured,  that  this  kind  of  wall,  of  a given  thickness,  is  much  more 
solid  than  a brick  wall  of  the  same  thickness.  And  for  these 
three  reasons : first,  brick  are  smooth,  so  that  the  mortar  rarely 
fastens  directly  upon  them,  but  merely  serves  as  a bed  for  the 
brick  to  lie  in,  and,  in  taking  down  brick  houses,  the  mortar 
often  cleaves  from  the  brick  very  easily.  Not  so  with  the  stones 
which  compose  our  gravel  wall.  Lime  and  mortar  stick  to 
stones  a great  deal  better  than  to  brick,  partly  because  these 
stones  are  so  irregular,  full  of  edges,  rough  on  the  surface,  and 
every  way  better  for  mortar  to  fasten  upon  than  brick.  Secondly, 
mortar  is  usually  worked  too  dry  to  form  an  adhesion  to  brick, 
for,  when  it  is  thin  enough  to  stick  to  brick,  it  is  too  thin  to  be 
worked  well,  whereas,  our  method  allows  the  compost  to  be  just 
as  thin  as  can  be  handled  with  the  shovel,  so  that  when  deposited 
between  the  boards,  it  beds  all  down  together  in  one  solid  mass, 
each  part  sticking  to  each,  and  any  surplus  water  there  may  be, 
settles  along  down  into  the  wall  below,  thus  rebinding  all  the 
parts  together.  Each  tier  of  this  material  also  fastens  to  the  tier 
below,  just  as  firmly  as  if  they  all  had  been  put  up  at  once. 
Thirdly,  brick  are  usually  laid  in  rows,  so  that  when  a crack  has 
occasion  to  occur  it  passes  along  between  them,  whereas,  our 
stone  and  gravel,  being  thrown  i n promiscuously,  and  turned  and 
twisted  in  every  possible  direction,  offer  much  more  obstruction 
to  cracking,  than  a regularly  laid  brick  or  stone  wall.  In  fact, 
the  very  pell-mell  mode  of  depositing  these  materials  contributes 
to  its  strength. 

1 have  mentioned  putting  up  inside  walls  from  this  material, 
but  I think  the  better  plan  is  to  form  them  of  studs,  lath,  and 
plaster,  partly  because  it  is  rather  difficult  to  join  them  with  the 


DOOR  AND  WINDOW  FRAMES. 


39 


main  walls  as  you  go  up,  because  they  are  in  the  way  of  your 
building  the  outside  walls,  and  for  several  like  reasons. 

If  it  should  be  asked,  then  why  not  build  the  outside  walls  of 
studs  and  plaster?  I answer,  because  that  will  require  a frame, 
whereas,  this  does  not ; because  your  outside  coat  would  not 
stick  to  lath,  but  will  to  this  compost ; because  studs  are  not 
sufficiently  solid  for  the  outside  wall,  and  several  other  like  rea- 
sons, such  as  rats  and  mice,  danger  by  fire,  greater  warmth,  etc. 

17.  DOOR  AND  WINDOW  FRAMES. 

Window-frames  should  generally  be  constructed  so  that  the 
windows  run  with  weights  ; probably  the  best  mode  of  managing 
this  part,  as  adapted  to  our  mode  of  building,  is  this  : Take  a 
thick  plank,  either  pine  or  hemlock — say  the  ends  which  come  off 
from  your  floor  timbers,  or  any  thing  from  an  inch  to  three 
inches  thick,  and  the  width  of  your  wall — saw  its  length  to  cor- 
respond with  the  width  of  your  window-frame — yet  if  it  projects 
six  or  twelve  inches  into  the  wall,  no  matter — make  a notch  on 
each  corner  of  two  inches,  into  which  nail  two  inch  wall  strips, 
the  length  of  your  proposed  window,  or  door,  and  nail  the  whole 
— 6 pieces  in  all,  viz.,  2 plank  and  4 wall  strips — together.  If 
your  wall  is  8 inches,  these  two  scantling,  which  take  up  two 
inches  on  each  side,  will  leave  four  inches  between  them,  in  which 
your  weights  can  play ; all  this  can  be  done  by  saw,  hammer, 
and  nails,  and  by  any  common  hand  with  tools.  All  they  require 
is  to  be  fitted  tolerably  closely,  and  nailed  solidly.  It  may  be 
well  to  nail  a board  up  and  down  on  the  outside  of  this  frame,  to 
prevent  the  mortar  from  coming  through  between  these  scantlings, 
yet,  if  you  have  many  stones,  this  board  is  better  off  than  on,  for 
these  stones  can  be  so  placed  as  to  prevent  the  mortar  from  run- 
ning through,  and  to  fasten  the  window-frames  to  the  wall.  In 
making  the  door-frame,  its  bottom  plank  will  serve  as  your  door 
cill,  or  stepping  piece,  and  these  scantlings  will  serve  to  nail  your 
casing  to,  and  fasten  your  inside  window-frame  on.  I am  no 
carpenter,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  all  this  rigging  about  window- 
frames  is  not  necessary  ; at  least,  that  a more  simple  contrivance 
can  be  adopted,  yet  what  we  have  now  described  will  serve  for 


40 


THE  GRAVEL-WALL  PLAN. 


putting  up  our  wall,  and  this  is  all  which  concerns  this  mode  of 
building,  properly  speaking.  These  window  and  door  frames 
should  now  be  braced  inside,  about  midway  up,  else  the  wall 
might  spring  them  inward,  which  will  prevent  your  windows 
from  playing  freely,  and  occasion  a good  deal  of  trouble  in  the 
finishing.  These  window-frames  can  be  set  on  bricks  if  preferred. 
Mine  are  thus  set,  and  a brick  arch  is  sprung  over  on  their  tops, 
so  as  to  prevent  the  wall  fi'om  settling  in  their  top.  Yet  it  seems 
to  me,  any  piece  of  timber,  or  stick  of  wood,  even,  thrown  across 
the  top,  will  serve  every  practical  purpose.  Indeed,  I very  much 
doubt  the  necessity  of  any  thing,  for  it  seems  to  me  that  our 
material  will  form  just  as  good  an  arch  as  if  it  were  laid  up  regu- 
larly with  brick,  only  keep  it  from  springing  until  our  material 
has  a chance  to  set,  and  it  will  become  just  about  as  firm  as  a 
solid  stone. 


18.  THE  TOP  OF  THIS  WALL. 

This,  of  course,  requires  to  be  perfectly  leveled,  so  as  to  form 
a level  resting-place  for  your  floor  timbers.  To  secure  this  level, 
of  course  some  leveling  instrument  will  have  to  be  used,  yet 
carpenters  know  how  to  make  these,  and  they  are  easily  applied. 
The  top  of  the  standards  above  described  will  furnish  guides  for 
your  boards.  Your  top  tier  of  boards  should  be  so  nailed  that 
the  top  of  the  board  shall  be  even  with  the  top  of  your  standards, 
and  then,  your  coarse  mortar  can  be  thrown  in,  so  as  to  fill  it 
to  within  an  inch,  or  even  a half  an  inch  of  the  top,  and  a thin 
coat  of  fine  mortar  will  complete  it ; yet  I should  advise  laying  a 
board  on  top  of  the  wall  the  width  of  the  wall,  so  that  your  floor 
timbers  may  have  a resting  place  more  solid  than  the  mortar, 
because  this  mortar  is  yet  green,  whereas,  this  board  on  top  will 
so  equalize  the  pressure  as  to  keep  every  thing  in  place.  This 
board  can  then  be  nailed  on  top  of  the  scantling,  and  thus  still  farther 
strengthen  the  walls.  As  soon  as  your  wall  is  up,  it  is  well  to 
place  all  your  floor  timbers,  because  they  serve  to  steady  that 
wall,  and  then  you  are  ready  for  proceeding  with  the  next  story. 


TEMPORARY  FLOORS. ANCHORAGE. 


41 


19.  TEMPORARY  FLOORS. 

This  mode  of  building  requires  a great  deal  of  wheeling  and 
walking  on  these  floor  timbers,  and  this  requires  a temporary 
floor,  and,  in  my  opinion,  the  better  course  is,  after  your  floor 
timbers  are  down,  to  put  down  your  floors,  of  course  first  filling 
up  between  your  floor  timbers  with  this  coarse  mortar,  and  laying 
your  floor  boards  so  that  they  shall  actually  penetrate  into  the 
wall.  These  boards  may  get  somewhat  bruised  in  the  course  of 
building,  yet,  by  taking  due  pains,  laying  down  rough,  loose 
boards,  to  be  wheeled  on,  and  to  catch  any  stones  that  may  fall 
from  the  shovel,  you  will  probably  gain  more  than  lose ; and  if  it 
should  rain  after  this  floor  is  down,  it  will  damage  your  floor  very 
little.  An  occasional  nail  may  be  drawn,  but  is  easily  driven 
back.  Or  a temporary  floor  may  be  nailed  down,  made  of  hem- 
lock, three  quarters  thick,  such  as  is  used  to  line  floors,  and  after 
your  roof  is  on,  put  your  floor  proper  on  the  top  of  this  lining. 
But  I only  suggest  this  plan  as  a matter  of  reason ; I have  not 
tried  it  as  a matter  of  experiment,  but  have  felt  the  need  of  some- 
thing of  this  sort.  Supposing  your  house  to  be  thirty  feet  square, 
a thousand  feet  of  boards,  which  might  cost  you  ten,  or  twelve,  or 
fifteen  dollars,  would  lay  this  temporary  floor,  and  probably  save 
in  the  work  of  putting  up  the  building.  Still,  let  each  builder 
decide  this  point  for  himself. 

20.  ANCHORAGE. 

All  houses  require  more  or  less  anchoring.  By  our  mode  of 
building,  this  will  be  easily  effected  as  follows : As  you  place 
your  floor  timbers,  nail  them  to  these  boards  on  top  of  the  wall, 
on  which  they  rest.  This  anchors  the  floor  timbers  to  the  wall 
below.  Then,  to  anchor  them  to  the  wall  above,  bore  holes  with 
an  inch  and  a half  or  two  inch  auger,  giving  them  a slight  slant 
outward ; bore  holes  near  the  end  of  these  timbers,  and  right 
where  the  wall  above  is  to  be  placed,  giving  them  a slight  slant 
toward  the  outside  of  your  house,  and  drive  pins,  and  when  you 
build  your  wall  around  these  pins,  your  floor  timbers  are  anchored 


42 


THE  GRAVEL- WALL  PLAN. 


abundantly  ; and  where  these  floor  timbers  meet  inside  the  house, 
an  occasional  pin  through  a couple  of  them  anchors  them  in  the 
middle.  This  anchors  your  house  one  way.  It  can  be  anchored 
the  other  way  as  follows:  Let  your  floor  timber  which  lies  along 
nearest  the  wall  be  placed  close  to  the  wall,  and  bore  slanting 
holes  in  the  side  of  these  floor  timbers,  next  to  the  wall,  driving 
these  wooden  pins,  and  of  course  these  pins  will  stick  out  where 
your  wall  is  to  be  made.  When  the  wall  is  made  around  these 
pins,  of  course  this  first  floor  timber  is  anchored  to  the  wall ; then 
your  floor  boards  are  nailed  to  this  timber,  being  nailed  also  to 
the  other  timbers ; and  the  other  floor  timbers  on  the  opposite 
side,  fixed  in  like  manner,  of  course,  your  whole  house  is  bound 
solidly  together  by  only  a few  hours’  work.  It  is  also  very  well, 
as  you  build  up  the  corners,  to  anchor  them  by  long,  narrow 
stones  crossing  in  various  ways  or  lapping  across  these  corners. 
These  remarks  will,  at  least,  serve  to  put  the  builder’s  mind  on 
the  track  of  adopting  any  such  simple  mode  which  may  come 
handy. 


21.  CHIMNEYS,  VENTILATION,  SPEAKING-TUBES,  ETC. 

If  your  walls  are  wide  enough,  these  can  be  easily  made,  by 
just  placing  a round  stick,  the  size  of  your  proposed  chimney,  or 
ventilator,  into  your  wall,  and  drawing  it  along  up  after  you,  thus 
leaving  a hole  behind  it.  Two  of  my  chimney  flues  I carried  up 
by  brick,  and  these  are  the  only  two  poor  ones  I have  in  my 
building,  as  far  as  they  have  been  tried.  I carried  two  inside 
walls  from  bottom  to  top,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  building  my 
chimneys  in  this  manner ; those  round  sticks  employed  were  of 
various  sizes,  according  to  the  sized  flue  desired,  but  if  I were  to 
build  again,  1 should  make  them  larger.  They  vary  from  6 to  8 
inches  in  diameter.  My  speaking-tubes  were  2 to  3 inches,  and 
were  also  drawn  up  after  me  in  the  same  manner. 

I had  occasion  for  two  chimneys,  which  I could  not  locate  in 
this  inside  wall,  devoted  to  chimneys,  and  resolved  on  building 
them  of  my  gravel  material.  Against  this  all  my  workmen  pro- 
tested, some  giving  one  reason,  others  another,  yet  I overruled 
them  all,  directed  my  carpenter  to  place  three  boards,  about  18 


CHIMNEYS,  VENTILATION,  SPEAEING-TEBES,  ETC. 


43 


inches  wide,  up  and  down,  alongside  of  the  outside  wall,  and  to 
place  one  of  these  sticks,  about  8 inches  through  and  6 feet  long, 
inside  this  chimney  box,  having  a rope  fastened  to  its  upper  end, 
and  carried  to  the  story  above ; and  making  my  material  a little 
finer  than  usual,  I wheeled  and  shoveled  it  into  these  up  and  down 
boxes,  occasionally  hoisting  my  inside  stick,  and  in  a few  minutes 
had  carried  it  two-thirds  of  a story,  when,  fearing  if  I proceeded 
too  fast  it  might  cave  in,  I suspended  operations  for  a few  hours, 
drawing  up  my  stick  to  the  top  of  the  story,  as  I filled  up  the  * 
boxes,  in  a couple  of  days,  and  this  formed  a perfectly  smooth 
tunnel  for  smoke.  Leaving  my  outer  box  boards  on  for  two  or 
three  weeks,  on  removing  them,  there  my  chimneys  are,  yet  cost- 
ing scarcely  three  dollars  apiece,  from  bottom  to  top. 

I assure  the  reader  that  my  best  chimneys  are  those  built  in 
the  manner  just  prescribed.  Where  a turn  is  to  be  made,  of 
course  brick  must  be  used  to  effect  that  turn. 

I attempted  to  make  water-pipes  in  the  same  manner,  by  using 
water-lime  in  place  of  common  lime,  but  have  not  tested  any  of 
them,  and  perhaps  shall  not,  because  they  require  to  be  made 
with  considerable  care,  yet  with  that  care  can  be  made  perfectly 
tight.  My  mode  of  procedure  was,  first,  to  make  the  same 
hole  that  I would  make  for  a chimney,  then  insert  a small  round 
stick,  say  two  or  three  inches  in  diameter,  according  to  the  size 
of  the  desired  pipe ; I would  fill  up  the  spaces  caused  by  the  dif- 
ferent sizes  of  these  two  sticks  with  water-lime,  sand,  and  stone, 
made  thin,  and  occasionally  turning  this  inner  stick  around,  so  as 
to  compact  all  the  materials  closely  together. 

Ventilators  can  easily  be  made  by  a like  means,  and  as  they 
can  be  made  so  easily,  it  is  a pity  that  any  house  should  be  with- 
out them.  Each  room  should  have  its  ventilator,  and  that  ven 
tilator  should  open  at  both  the  bottom  and  top  of  the  room,  so  as 
to  carry  off  any  bad  air  which  may  settle  at  the  bottom,  or  rise 
to  the  top.  Of  course,  in  finishing  off,  these  ventilators  should 
have  their  registers,  so  that  their  action  may  be  under  control, 
and  when  carried  to  the  top  of  the  house  they  can  be  opened  just 
under  the  eaves,  between  the  rafters,  and  thus  the  bad  air  cast 
out  of  the  building.  Strictly  speaking,  no  two  rooms  should  open 
into  the  same  ventilator,  because  this  will  allow  sounds  to  pass 


44 


THE  GRAVEL-WALL  PLAN. 


from  one  room  to  the  other,  which  should  be  avoided ; but  they 
are  so  easily  made  that  we  need  hardly  trouble  ourselves  to  econ- 
omize their  number.  If  too  large,  these  holes  will  somewhat 
weaken  your  wall,  yet  this  point  is  too  insignificant  to  be  noticed, 
because  the  walls  will  be  abundantly  strong,  if  the  ventilators  are 
<>f  proper  size.  * 

Speaking-tubes  should  generally  open  into  closets. 

22.  OUTSIDE  AND  INSIDE  FINISH. 

These  outside  walls  are  completed  when  the  outside  and  inside 
finish  is  put  on.  My  own  consists  simply  of  a coat  of  common 
mortar,  such  as  is  used  for  plastering  inside  walls,  and  put  on  in 
every  respect  just  as  you  would  put  on  the  scratch-coat  of  an 
inside  wall,  spread  right  on  to  this  rough  wall,  made  as  already 
described.  The  second  coat,  to  make  it  resemble  granite,  is  color- 
ed with  indigo,  lampblack,  and  some  other  articles,  according  to 
the  fancy  of  the  finisher,  adding  some  iron  filings  and  salt,  for  the 
purpose  of  bringing  out  a rust  on  the  surface,  to  make  it  resemble 
granite.  The  philosophy  of  iron  filings  and  salt  is  this.  The 
salt  corrodes  the  iron,  and  causes  this  oxide  to  ooze  out  in  drops, 
which  dry  on  the  surface  of  the  mortar,  so  as  exactly  to  resemble, 
which  it  in  fact  is,  iron  rust,  such  as  is  to  be  found  in  granite. 
This  outside  can  be  finished  to  resemble  granite,  marble,  plain  or 
clouded,  according  to  the  fancy  of  the  owner  and  artist,  and 
blocked  off,  by  making  a compost  of  lime  and  white  sand,  and 
put  where  you  would  have  the  blocks.  My  present  opinion  is, 
that  the  very  best  mode  of  finishing  is  simply  to  put  on  one  coat 
of  mortar,  such  as  is  used  for  the  inside  plastering,  but  take  pains 
and  lay  it  on  smoothly  and  evenly,  perhaps  using  a straight  edge, 
letting  it  dry,  and  then  hard  finish  it. 

This  hard  finish  should  have  a plentiful  supply  of  white  or  black 
sand,  to  give  it  body,  else  it  is  liable  to  peel  or  flake  off.  This 
hard  finish  should  be  made  by  first  running  off  lime  and  mixing 
in  sand,  say  from  half  to  two-thirds  more  sand  than  lime,  and 
then,  just  as  it  is  about  to  be  put  on,  mix  in  stucco,  or  plaster  of 
Paris  calcined,  as  in  hard  finishing,  and  while  putting  it  on,  work 
it  much  and  smoothly,  with  the  trowel.  But  please  observe  this  is 
not  wholly  experimental , but  is  in  part  suggestive. 


OUTSIDE  AND  INSIDE  FINISH. 


45 


I recommend  the  hard  finish,  because  it  serves  to  turn  water,  and 
will  thus  keep  much  of  the  dampness  out  of  the  walls  ; it  can  also 
be  painted,  and  this  will  effectually  prevent  any  moisture  from 
passing  through  the  walls  into  the  house.  It  will  also  look  bet- 
ter, at  least  from  a distance,  than  any  darker  color,  and  a coat  of 
raw  oil  will  render  it  perfectly  white,  because  that  oil  will  soon 
be  bleached  by  the  weather,  besides  serving  the  purpose  of  turn- 
ing rain.  Also,  any  stain  which  may  strike  the  outside  of  the 
house  is  effectually  turned  and  runs  off. 

The  cost  of  this  kind  of  finishing  is  equal  only  to  that  of  com- 
mon plaster,  after  the  lathing  is  done,  provided,  of  course,  you 
have  put  up  your  walls  straight.  Of  this  plastering,  from  60  to  80 
square  yards  can  be  put  on  in  a day,  and  as  many  more  of  hard 
finish  in  another  day,  so  that  your  outside  finish  can  be  put  on  in 
connection  with  this  kind  of  building  cheaper,  probably,  than  with 
any  other.  Suppose,  then,  your  house  is  30  feet  square,  or  20  by 
40 — your  first  story  9 or  10  feet,  your  second  8,  and  your  third 
3 or  4 — you  have  280  square  yards  to  plaster,  and  that  is  all. 
A good  smart  mason  can  do  this  in  about  four  days,  at  a cost  of 
labor  of  some  ten  or  twelve  dollars,  and  the  hard  finish  about  as 
much  more  in  addition.  Suppose  the  whole  outside  finish  should 
cost  $50,  painting  included,  pray,  is  not  this  very  cheap  ; and 
your  house  thus  finished  will  look  splendidly,  and  is  easily  kept 
so,  because  any  marks  of  soiling  are  easily  washed  off.  Suppose 
you  were  to  finish  it  with  clap-boards,  it  will  require  some  2,500 
feet,  at  least,  and  at  a cost  of  from  $25  to  $35  per  thousand — 
more  by  considerable  than  the  entire  cost  of  finish,  by  our  method. 
Then  these  clap  boards  have  to  be  planed,  and  put  up,  and  the 
scaffolding  for  your  mason  will  cost  no  more  than  for  your  clap- 
boarder.  Then,  these  clapboards  must  be  painted,  with  two  or 
three  coats  of  oil  and  white  lead,  and  this  painting  renewed  every 
few  years.  Walls  can  be  built  and  plastered,  hard  finished  and 
painted  outside,  cheaper  than  you  can  merely  clap-board  the  same 
surface.  If  your  mason  should  want  to  take  his  finishing  by  the 
job,  he  will  make  it  cost  you  double  or  treble  the  rates  here  speci- 
fied, but  every  plasterer  knows  that  70  yards  of  plastering  is  only 
an  ordinary  day’s  work,  and  about  as  much  more  for  hard  finish. 

One  other  form  of  outside  finish  has  been  tried  with  success  by 


46 


THE  GRAVEL- WALL  PLAN. 


Mr.  Thornton,  lumber  dealer,  in  Pawtucket,  R.  I.,  and  is  as  fol- 
lows. He  simply  mixed  some  common  coal  dust  with  his  mor- 
tar, just  enough  to  turn  it  a grayish  color,  and  the  little  specks 
of  coal  which  come  to  the  surface  shine  and  sparkle  in  the  sun 
like  diamonds,  giving  to  his  outside  finish  a beautiful  and  rich 
appearance.  All  he  did,  was  simply  to  mingle  this  coal  dust,  or 
screenings,  with  his  mortar.  But  the  common  mode  of  plastering, 
without  coloring,  a little  way  off  looks  very  well,  at  least,  better 
for  an  ordinary  house,  than  any  other  which  a man  of  limited  means 
can  afford.  Still,  touching  this  matter,  let  every  man  inquire  and 
judge  for  himself.  Of  course,  it  might  seem,  at  first  sight,  that 
this  plastering  would  peel  off ; so  it  will,  if  spread  upon  lath.  But 
mark  this  difference.  Plaster  never  adheres  to  wood ; the  entire 
adhesion,  remember,  of  plastering,  when  put  upon  lath,  is  the 
clinch  upon  the  back  side  of  the  lath.  Of  course,  frosts  heave 
this  plaster,  and  break  these  clinches.  Not  so  with  ours,  and  for 
this  reason.  The  mortar  is  not  separated  from  the  main  material 
by  wood.  Hence,  water  can  insinuate  itself  between  the  plaster 
and  wood,  not  only  loosening  the  plaster  from  the  wood,  but 
swelling  the  wood  so  as  to  crack  and  heave  off  the  plaster  by  ex- 
pansion ; and  when  the  wood  shrinks  by  drying,  it  leaves  the 
plaster  loose,  whereas  ours,  incorporating  itself  in  the  solid  mate- 
rial of  the  wall,  becomes  one  with  that  wall,  just  as  much  as  if 
it  had  been  put  on  at  the  time  the  wall  was  going  up,  and  those 
little  honey-comb  holes  mentioned8  serve  the  purpose  of  the 
very  best  clinchers  in  the  world.  In  Mr.  Thornton’s  house,  there 
occurs  a slight  peeling,  but,  observe,  it  is  not  between  the  plaster 
and  the  wall,  but  between  the  two  coats  of  plaster,  or,  between  the 
scratch-coat  and  outer  coat,  and  hence,  I recommend  that  but  a 
single  coat  be  put  on,  that  that  coat  be  rendered  as  thin  as  it  will 
well  work,  and  pressed  thoroughly  into  all  the  little  holes  in  the 
wall,  that  is,  worked  well  with  the  trowel  when  spread  on,  and 
smooth  the  first  time.  It  will  check  some  in  drying,  but  the  hard 
finish  recommended  will  stop  these  checks  in  a single  application. 

It  should  be  added,  that  my  mason  mingled  a little  water-lime 
with  his  mortar,  as  he  put  it  on,  the  utility  of  which  I rather 
doubt.  Still,  its  cost  was  a mere  trifle,  and  it  possibly  may  be 
of  use  in  turning  dampness. 


OUTSIDE  AND  INSIDE  FINISH. 


47 


In  our  cities  they  are  in  the  habit  of  finishing  their  best  brick 
houses  with  plaster  or  another  compound,  altogether  forming  what 
they  call  mastic-cement,  the  price  of  which  is  $1  00  per  square 
yard.  This  is  considered  cheaper  than  an  ordinary  brick  house 
made  of  first-rate  brick.  That  is,  after  they  have  bought  their 
ordinary  brick,  put  up  their  wall,  paid  the  mason  for  laying  them, 
and  tender  for  making  and  carrying  mortar,  they  then  add  this 
dollar  per  square  yard  for  their  outside  finish,  and  yet  consider 
their  walls  cheaper  than  if  made  of  first-rate  brick,  laid  in  the 
Flemish  bond  style.  Then  how  much  cheaper  this  gravel-wall, 
for  their  mastic  finish  will  adhere  far  better  to  this  than  that. 

That  nature  has  furnished  better  materials,  if  we  will  discover 
and  apply  them,  than  boards  and  paint,  is  apparent ; for,  besides 
their  expensiveness,  they  must,  as  the  world  fills  up,  become  too 
scarce  to  supply  the  demand.  Our  plan  is  peculiarly  adapted  to 
a plaster  finish,  and  that  such  cheap  and  durable  finishes  can  be 
made,  is  a matter  not  of  inference  but  of  experiment.  The 
State  House  at  New  Haven,  Conn.,  is  plastered  outside,  and  has 
withstood  the  action  of  frost  and  rain  over  thirty  years,  and  with- 
out the  expense  of  frequent  repainting.  So  well  has  this  plaster 
finish  recommended  itself  practically  in  New  Haven,  that  all  their 
first-class  houses  are  now  covered  with  it.  The  feasibility  of  an 
outside  plaster  finish  is  thus  placed,  by  experiment,  beyond  a 
doubt. 

The  following  recipes,  clipped  from  the  papers,  are  given  as 
received,  without  endorsement,  but  not  without  considerable  con- 
fidence in  their  durability  and  applicability  to  the  gravel-wall. 

“ The  Pittsburgh  Chronicle  says  an  individual  has  a mode  of  manufac- 
turing marble  which  is  pronounced  superior  to  any  other  artificial  stone  or 
marble  in  use,  and  will  supersede  the  use  of  lime  mortar  in  the  various 
processes  of  plastering,  and  will  be  extensively  used  for  stucco  work, 
mosaic,  statuary,  mantle-pieces,  table  slabs,  atmospheric  and  hydraulic 
cement,  roofing  of  houses,  and  paving  of  streets,  etc.  It  will  set  or  harden 
in  six  hours,  when  applied  in  plastering  houses.  It  will  resist  the  action 
of  atmospheric  heat,  damp,  frost,  etc.,  and  is  susceptible  of  a high  polish, 
and  can  be  manufactured  at  a cost  little  exceeding  ordinary  lime  mortar.”* 

“ Much  is  said  of  the  brilliant  stucco  whitewash  on  the  east  of  the  Pres- 


* If  any  reader  can  give  any  information  touching  this  invention,  it  will  be  thankfully 
received. 


48 


THE  GRAVEL-WALL  PLAN. 


ident’s  house  at  Washington.  The  following  is  a i*ecipe  for  making  it,  with 
some  additional  improvements  learned  by  experiment : 

“ Take  half  a bushel  of  nice,  unslacked  lime,  slack  it  with  boiling  water, 
covering  it  during  the  process,  to  keep  in  the  steam.  Strain  the  liquor 
through  a fine  sieve  or  strainer,  and  add  to  it  a peck  of  clean  salt,  pre- 
viously dissolved  in  warm  water  ; three  pounds  of  ground  rice,  ground  to 
a thin  paste,  and  stirred  and  boiled,  hot;  half  a pound  of  powdered  Spanish 
whiting,  and  a pound  of  clean  glue,  which  has  been  previously  dissolved 
by  first  soaking  it  well,  and  then  hanging  it  over  a slow  fire,  in  a small 
kettle,  within  a large  one  filled  with  water.  Add  five  gallons  of  hot  water 
to  the  whole  mixture,  stir  it  well,  and  let  it  stand  a few  days,  covered  from 
the  dirt.  It  should  be  put  on  quite  hot ; for  this  purpose  it  can  be  kept 
in  a kettle,  on  a portable  furnace.  It  is  said  that  about  one  pint  of  this 
mixture  will  cover  a square  yard  upon  the  outside  of  a house,  if  properly 
applied. 

“ Brushes  more  or  less  small  may  be  used,  according  to  the  neatness  of 
the  job  required.  It  retains  its  brilliancy  for  many  years.  There  is  noth- 
ing of  the  kind  that  will  compare  with  it,  either  for  outside  or  inside  walls. 
Coloring  matter  may  be  put  in  and  made  of  any  shade  you  like.  Spanish 
brown  stirred  in  will  make  a red  or  pink,  more  or  less  deep,  according  to 
the  quantity.  A delicate  tinge  of  this  is  very  pretty  for  inside  walls 
Finely  pulverized  common  clay,  well  mixed  up  with  Spanish  brown  before 
it  is  stirred  into  the  mixture,  makes  a lilac  color.  Lampblack  and  Span- 
ish brown  mixed  together  produce  a reddish  stone  color  Lampblack  in 
moderate  quantities  makes  a slate  color,  very  suitable  for  the  outside  of 
buildings.  Yellow  ochre  stirred  in  makes  a yellow  wash,  but  chrome  goes 
farther,  and  makes  a color  generally  esteemed  prettier.  In  all  these  cases, 
the  darkness  of  the  shade  will  of  course  be  determined  by  the  quantity  of 
the  coloring  matter  used.  It  is  difficult  to  make  a rule,  because  the  tastes 
are  very  different;  it  would  be  best  to  try  experiments  on  a shingle,  and 
let  it  dry.  I have  been  told  that  green  must  not  be  mixed  with  lime.  The 
lime  destroys  the  color,  and  the  color  has  an  effect  on  the  whitewash,  which 
makes  it  crack  and  peel.  When  walls  have  been  badly  smoked,  and  you 
wish  to  have  them  a clean  white,  it  is  well  to  squeeze  indigo  plentifully 
through  a bag  into  the  water  you  use,  before  it  is  stirred  into  the  whole 
mixture.  If  a larger  quantity  than  five  gallons  should  be  wanted,  the  same 
proportion  should  be  observed.” 

Many  readers  will  no  doubt  remember  that  splendid  mansion 
in  Broad  Street,  Philadelphia,  near  Chestnut,  which  is  plastered 
and  colored  yellow,  and  has  withstood  the  weather  these  ten 
years,  to  my  knowledge,  probably  longer. 

Touching  the  inside  finish,  it  can  be  spread  directly  upon  this 
wall,  or  furred  and  lathed.  If  the  builder  is  able,  the  latter 
method  is  undoubtedly  the  best,  and  well  worthy  of  the  extra 


CLAY  AND  STONE  WALL. 


49 


cost,  wherever  it  can  be  afforded,  because  it  renders  the  house 
dryer,  warmer,  more  even  of  temperature,  and  every  way  better, 
on  account  of  that  dead  air  between  the  wall  and  the  plaster.  A 
part  of  my  own  house  I have  thus  furred  and  lathed,  but  the  two 
upper  stories  I have  not,  partly  because  a quarter  of  the  surface 
is  occupied  by  closets,  and  another  quarter  by  windows.  And 
yet,  I should  recommend,  to  those*  who  have  means,  the  latter 
method,  but  I have,  as  yet,  seen  no  marks  or  signs  of  dampness 
in  my  closets,  or  on  my  walls,  nor  do  I believe  I shall  ever  be 
troubled  with  either.  Still,  I can  only  say  what  has  been,  thus 
far,  and  leave  the  future  to  the  future.  Unless  your  walls  are 
carried  up  middling  straight,  it  will  also  cost  you  more  to  finish 
on  them,  than  on  lath,  because,  in  some  places,  the  mortar  will 
have  to  go  on  thicker,  and  in  others,  thinner,  but  a poor  man 
could  better  live  without  its  being  lathed  and  plastered  inside? 
than  to  live  in  a rented  house..  In  fact,  by  this  mode  of  building, 
a man  may  accommodate  himself  to  present  circumstances,  and 
finish  afterward,  as  he  becomes  able. 

23.  CLAY  AND  STONE  WALL. 

Thus  far,  I have  spoken  experimentally.  Respecting  the  solid- 
ity of  the  gravel  and  lime  walls,  not  one  particle  of  doubt  remains. 
I,  however,  suggest  another  plan,  which,  if  I were  in  a country 
where  clay  was  handy  and  sand  not,  I should  adopt.  I should 
temper  clay,  just  as  I would  to  make  brick,  and  then  mingle  in 
stones,  large  and  small,  with  this  clay,  or  else  lay  them  in,  as  the 
clay  is  shoveled  into  the  wall,  and  put  up  a house  of  clay  and 
stones,  instead  of  lime  and  stones ; any  other  hard  substance,  such 
as  described,8  will  answer  just  as  good  a purpose.  I have  tried  a 
small  piece  of  wall  in  this  way,  enough  to  satisfy  myself  that  it 
will  answer  every  purpose  of  solidity.  Houses  have  often  been 
made  of  unburned  clay,  but  what  is  the  use  in  separating  this 
clay  into  blocks,  and  then  uniting  them  by  mortar  ? Why  not 
throw  your  clay  into  these  boxes  or  cribs,  as  above  described,10  and 
make  the  whole  in  one  solid  clay  mass  ? And  if  clay  alone  will 
stand,  surely  clay  plentifully  mixed  with  large  and  small  stones 
will  stand  better.  The  greatest  objection  here,  appertains  to  the 

3 


50 


THE  GRAVEL-WALL  PLAN. 


handling  of  this  clay,  because  it  is  so  sticky.  Yet,  this  very 
property  of  tenacity  is  the  binding  property  of  the  wall.  To  have 
just  clay  enough  to  fill  all  in  between  these  stones,  and  bind  them 
together,  and  to  have  stones  enough  coming  out  to  the  edge  of 
the  wall  for  the  outside  mortar  coat  to  adhere  to,  would,  it  seems 
to  me,  make  a cheap,  and  every  way  excellent  wall ; at  least,  suf- 
ficiently solid  for  all  practical  purposes  of  support.  At  all  events, 
I shall  make  an  extended  trial  of  this  material,  in  building  fences 
and  out-houses.  By  this  method,  even  the  cost  of  lime  is  saved? 
so  that,  supposing  a man  has  to  build  on  a clay  foundation,  all  he 
has  to  do  is  duly  to  wet  and  temper  his  clay,  and  shovel  it  right 
into  his  walls.  But  since  a foot  of  stones  can  be  handled  much 
more  easily  than  a foot  of  clay,  and  serves  a better  purpose,  from 
one-half  to  two-thirds  of  his  wall  should  be  composed  of  large  and 
small  stones.  Nor  should  I be  afraid  to  carry  up  a two,  or  even 
three  story  house  of  this  material. 

Fences  can  also  be  built  of  both  these  materials,  either  clay 
and  stones,  or  sand,  lime,  and  stones,  yet,  not  having  had  experi- 
ence in  this  line,  I do  not  speak  positively,  but  think  a very  thin 
fence,  say  eighteen  inches  at  bottom,  and  tapering  up  to  six  or  eight 
inches  on  top,  would  answer  every  purpose,  and  believe  a wall 
can  be  built  in  this  way  about  as  cheap  as  a stone  wall.  At  all 
events,  I shall  soon  put  this  suggestion  into  practice. 

24.  COST  OF  THE  GRAVEL-WALL. 

That  this  kind  of  wall  costs  far  less  than  either  brick  or  wood, 
is  perfectly  obvious  at  one  glance.  The  price  of  brick  varies  in 
various  places,  but  suppose  it  to  be  $5  per  1000;  how  great  a 
saving  occurs  in  material.  It  takes  only  from  half  to  a quarter 
as  much  lime  to  build  this  wall  as  to  lay  up  the  same  sized  brick 
wall.  A cart  load  of  stone  will  go  just  as  far  as  a cart  load  of 
brick,  and  answers  just  as  good  a purpose.  The  stones  have  to 
be  carted,  but  do  not  also  your  brick  ? And  brick  must  be 
carted  from  one  to  several  miles,  whereas,  stones  can  generally 
be  picked  up  all  around  your  dwelling,  so  that  building  your 
house  will  very  likely  serve  to  clear  your  farm  of  these  encum- 
brances. Supposing,  then,  a man  has  a stony  field  to  clear  con- 


COST  OF  THE  GRAVEL-WALL. 


51 


tiguous  to  his  building  spot ; after  throwing  the  stones  into  his 
cart,  which  he  would  have  to  do  in  clearing  his  land,  he  can  now 
cart  them  to  his  building  spot,  about  as  well  as  to  any  other  place 
of  deposit,  so  that  his  stones  are  brought  to  their  places  with  lit- 
tle additional  cost,  and  these  stones  form  more  than  half  the 
material  for  the  wall,  and  a sand  or  gravel  bank  will  doubtless 
be  more  contiguous  than  a brick-yard,  and  in  a majority  of  cases, 
the  materials  can  be  dug  right  from  the  cellar,  or  obtained  within 
a few  rods  of  your  building  site.  But  as  any  expense  of  carting 
will  vary  with  the  locality,  but  be  much  less  by  this  than  the 
brick  wall,  we  will  leave  this  out  of  our  estimate  altogether.  It 
can,  at  least,  be  done  in  winter,  on  snow,  and  thus  much  more 
advantage  taken,  than  in  building  with  brick.  But,  your  mate- 
rials on  the  spot,  clear  off  your  top  soil  as  far  down  as  your 
gravel,  then  sink  your  wall  as  far  into  your  gravel  as  you  design 
it  shall  go ; now  shovel  gravel  from  your  cellar  right  into  your 
mortar-beds,  and  thence  to  your  wall,  sc  that  in  digging  your  cel- 
lar you  actually  make  your  wall.  Nor  is  it  much  more  trouble 
to  move  your  material  into  the  wall,  than  cast  it  outside  and 
carting  it  away.  We  have  already  estimated  about  the  amount 
of  lime  requisite,  say  from  $15  to  $20,  according  to  the  size  of 
your  building.  In  the  case  of  my  own  house,  $20  worth  of  lime 
put  up  a building  256  feet  in  circumference,  and  23  feet  high  ; 
equal  to  a house  64  feet  square,  and  three  stories  high,  provided 
these  stories  were  only  10,  8,  and  5 feet  high;  yet  I should  advise 
the  use  of  $30  instead  of  $20  worth,  for  the  same  sized  walls, 
and  even  more,  where  higher  ; but  under  any  circumstances,  from 
$20  to  $25  worth  of  lime  should  put  up  a house  30  feet  square 
and  two  stories  and  a half  high.  And  now,  please  observe,  this 
is  all  the  material  you  want  for  your  entire  wall,  saving  some 
three  or  four  dollars’  worth  of  scantling  for  guide  standards,  sills, 
frames  for  doors  and  windows,  boards  for  the  top  of  the  wall,  etc. 
What  boards  I used  on  my  wall  cost  about  $3  per  story,  and  my 
standards  about  two  more.  Your  entire  material  will  then  cost 
you,  for  this  gravel-wall,  from  $20  to  $30,  whereas,  brick  alone 
would  cost  $200  or  $300.  Now,  reader,  do  you  or  do  you  not 
see  an  immense  difference  in  cost  of  material ; a difference  which 
of  itself  should  entitle  this  mode  of  building  to  universal  consid- 


52 


THE  GRAVEL-WALL  PLAN. 


eration.  Your  pile  of  stories,  requisite  for  the  building,  will  cost 
just  the  drawing,  whereas  a like  pile  of  brick  to  build  the  same 
with,  will  cost  several  hundred  dollars  ! To  build  one  square 
foot  with  brick  wall  takes  about  twenty.  A house  23  feet 
high  and  32  feet  square,  will  require  about  3,000  square  feet,  or, 
making  allowance  for  breakage  and  wasteage,  some  60,000  bricks, 
which,  at  $5  per  thousand,  would  cost  $300.  Now,  these  brick 
have  to  be  laid  up,  and  this  will  cost,  at  $3  per  thousand,  $180 
more  ; add  $30  or  $40  for  lime,  or  $520  in  all.  It  cost  me  44 
days’  work,  of  common  $12  per  month  hands,  to  put  up  my  wall 
1 1 feet  2 inches  high,  and  256  feet  in  circumference.  It  took  six 
days  and  a half  of  my  carpenter’s  labor,  at  $1  00  per  day,  which, 
added  to  the  other,  makes  $26  50,  and  two  and  a half  days  of  the 
mason  to  lay  the  window  sills,  and  the  arches  over  windows  and 
doors,  and  to  level  off  the  wall,  and  put  on  the  boards,  ready  for 
the  floor  timbers.  My  brick  cost  about  $6  50,  and  the  boards  for 
the  top  of  the  wall,  and  scantling  for  standards,  about  $6  00  more, 
and  the  lime  cost  $10  ; this  foots  up  not  far  from  $60.  The  rub- 
ble stones  used  were  quarried  in  digging  the  cellar,  so  as,  properly 
speaking,  not  to  be  reckoned  into  the  cost  of  the  wall.  But  sup- 
pose they  were,  I should  think  from  three  to  five  dollars  would 
have  done  the  quarrying,  and  as  much  more  would  have  hauled 
the  sand  used  two  and  a half  miles.  In  footing  up  the  bill  for 
my  last  story  but  one,  I could  reckon  only  about  $70,  and,  sur- 
prised at  this  result,  concluded  I must  have  made  some  cardinal 
omission,  and  hence,  charged  my  carpenter,  when  I came  to  the 
upper  story,  to  reckon  every  item  of  expense  in  his  department 
and  in  mine.  We  began  our  work  Friday  before  noon,  and  fin- 
ished it  the  next  week  Saturday,  at  nine  o’clock.  I then  sum- 
moned all  hands ; footed  up  labor  and  time,  examined  the  mate- 
rials used,  and  found  the  following  result : 


Common  labor,  44  days,  at 


$12  per  month $20  00 

Carpenter  work 7 00 

Mason  laying  window  sills, 

arches,  and  leveling  wall,  2 50 
Lime,  250  bush.,  slacked,  at 

4 cents  per  bushel 10  00 

Lumber  for  standards  and 

top  of  wall 6 00 


1,000  brick  for  window  sills 


and  arches 6 50 

Board  for  hands 12  00 

Sand,  quarrying  stones, 
nails,  horse  to  haul  up, 
use  of  boards  for  troughs, 
etc 15  00 


Total $79  00 


COST  OF  THE  GRAVEL-WALL. 


58 


And  one-ninth  of  even  this  small  sum  was  for  brick  and  lay- 
ing. True,  I had  my  mortar-beds  all  made,  tackle  rigged,  and  all 
things  ready  for  working ; but  it  need  not  take  many  days’  work 
to  get  ready.  The  outside  finish  can  be  put  on  very  cheaply, 
or  made  more  expensive,  as  the  owner  chooses.  Experience 
had  taught  me  to  handle  the  stuff*  economically,  but  my  candid 
opinion  is,  that  $100  will  put  up  and  finish  off  the  outside 
walls  of  a house  30  feet  square,  give  it  a good  coat  of  plaster 
and  hard  finish ; that  is,  would  do  all  which  belongs  to  the 
wall  itself,  and  leave  that  wall  every  way  better  than  a brick 
wall  which  would  cost  $600.  Of  course,  this  estimate  does  not 
reckon  windows  and  doors,  which  would  have  to  be  added  to  a 
brick  house  as  much  as  to  this,  and  cost  just  the  same  in  that  as 
this.  Goodrich  estimated  his  walls  as  four  times  cheaper  than 
wood,  and  six  times  cheaper  than  brick,  and  his  estimates  and 
mine  come  to  about  the  same  results. 

One  of  my  neighbors,  H.  J.  Sherwood,  of  Eishkill  Hook, 
ventured  to  build  a carriage-house  on  this  plan.  His  house  is  24 
by  26,  about  10  feet  high,  and  cost  about  7 days’  work  of  Irishmen, 
besides  some  little  assistance  he  himself  rendered,  and  about  $6 
worth  of  lime.  He  expressed  himself  as  perfectly  delighted  with 
this  mode  of  building,  in  which  the  work  and  all  the  plan  so  far 
exceeded  what  he  anticipated,  though  he  had  seen  mine  and  heard 
me  describe  it,  as  to  become  as  enchanting  as  a novel,  and  so 
delighted  him  as  to  interfere  with  his  sleep  at  night.  Mr.  Thorn- 
ton, before  mentioned,  residing  in  Pawtucket,  R.  I.,  thinks  he 
saved  himself  several  hundred  dollars  by  adopting  this  method, 
and  all  who  have  tried  it  bear  a like  testimony.  And  now, 
reader,  having  done  my  duty,  by  telling  the  truth,  as  nearly  as  I 
know  it,  I leave  you  to  either  proceed  in  the  old  horse-jog  mode 
of  building,  of  adopt  this  new  railroad  style,  as  you  in  your  sov- 
ereign pleasure  may  choose  to  decide.  Of  course,  the  other  por- 
tions of  the  house,  such  as  doors,  windows,  floors,  floor  timbers, 
etc.,  will  cost  as  much  by  this  plan  as  any  other.  Our  estimates 
and  descriptions  have  reference  simply  to  the  outside  walls. 

Now  foot  up  the  cost  of  frame  and  walls  in  accordance  with  the 
prices  of  materials  and  labor  in  your  various  sections,  and  com- 
pare it  with  the  cost  of  our  wall  for  a house  of  the  same  shape  and 


54 


THE  GRAVEL-WALL  PLAN. 


dimensions— remembering  that  our  estimate  is  for  a house  two 
and  a half  stories  high — and  then  choose  the  new,  cheaper,  and 
better  style,  or  the  old,  costly,  and  poorer  way. 

25.  THE  QUALITY  OF  THIS  GRAVEL-WALL. 

Is  it  as  good  as  a frame-house  1 Far  better,  every  way.  Let 
us  examine  its  advantages.  Air  rushes  in  freely  through  the  open 
crevices  of  the  siding,  and,  of  course,  through  every  crack  in  the 
plastering  and  flooring,  and  therefore  troubles  you  to  keep  warm 
in  cold  weather,  even  with  considerable  fire ; and  especially  your 
feet,  in  consequence  of  the  air  coming  up  through  the  floors. 
This  our  wall  prevents.  Plastered  outside  and  in,  it,  of  course, 
excludes  the  air  from  getting  access  under  the  floor,  or  to  the 
inner  coat  of  plastering,  leaving  only  windows  and  doors  for  its 
ingress.  Now,  a warm  house  is  quite  a desideratum,  both  as 
saving  fuel — quite  an  expensive  thing — and  as  promotive  of  com- 
fort. A house  built  in  this  way  not  only  retains  the  heat,  but 
preserves  an  even  temperature,  and  thus  escapes  the  one-minute- 
warm-and-the-next-cold,  incident  to  all  wooden  buildings. 

The  fact  in  regard  to  my  own  house  is,  that  water  standing  all 
winter  in  one  of  the  rooms  in  which  there  was  no  fire,  nor  any 
below  it,  has  not  frozen ; and  I will  prove  practically,  to  all  who 
will  give  me  an  opportunity,  that  the  house  is  thus  easily  made 
and  kept  warm.  I speak  not  of  doors  and  windows,  which  are 
the  same  in  the  new  as  old  style,  but  of  floors  and  walls.  I 
would  not,  on  any  account,  exchange  my  walls  even  for  brick  or 
filled-in  walls ; because  the  former  retain  moisture,  which  these 
never  do  ; and  the  latter  allow  more  or  less  air  to  pass  in  around 
the  siding  and  next  the  plastering,  whereas  these  shut  up  every 
possible  avenue  against  its  entrance,  from  top  to  bottom,  with 
double  doors.  All  cracks  in  lath  and  plastering  the  wind  finds 
and  pours  through ; but  if  a crack  occurs  in  my  inside  wall — and 
I have  none,  except  such  as  are  caused  by  that  settling  already 
alluded  to,  and  the  mason  should  have  known  better  than  to  have 
begun  a wall  on  so  poor  an  arch — no  wind  can  get  to  it,  and 
therefore  none  through  it ; for  it  can  not  press  against  the  inside 
coat  of  plaster  the  whole  length  and  breadth  of  wall,  as  by  the  old 


VERMIN  EXCLUDED  FROM  GRAVEL-WALLS. 


55 


method,  nor  come  in  around  the  wash-boards,  for  it  can  not  get 
to  them,  but  must  stay-  out.  I consider  my  house  worth  much 
more,  just  on  this  account,  than  if  built  in  the  old  way. 

You  see,  then,  how  and  why  it  is  that  this  kind  of  wall  is  not 
half  as  costly  as  the  present  kinds,  and  yet  is  twice  or  thrice  as 
good,  in  every  respect. 

This  plan  also  allows  you  to  build  your  floors  of  hemlock. 
That  timber  is  not  used  for  this  purpose,  because  it  can  not  be 
grooved  and  matched,  which  is  necessary  to  keep  the  wind  out. 
But  by  the  proposed  method,  no  wind  can  get  access  under  the 
floor,  and,  of  course,  no  grooves  and  joints  are  necessary  to  keep 
it  from  coming  up  through  it. 

26.  VERMIN  EXCLUDED  FROM  GRAVEL- WALLS. 

Moreover,  the  wood  method  allows  rats  and  mice  free  range 
throughout  the  house,  and  furnishes  a complete  harbor  for  them. 
But  our  plan  shuts  them  out  effectually.  They  can  not  climb  up 
and  harbor  between  siding  and  plastering,  nor  get  up  between 
ceiling  and  floors ; for  all  is  solid.  They  can  be  effectually  pre- 
vented from  entering,  while  building,  by  just  making  one  single 
place  around  your  chimney  mouse-tight.  You  effectually,  by 
this  kind  of  wall,  exclude  these  exceedingly  annoying  and  destruc- 
tive customers  from  all  parts  of  the  house,  by  filling  up  all  access 
and  all  harbors  ; and  is  not  this  worth  $1,000  ? Many  would  give 
twice  as  much  to  be  rid  of  these  torments. 

Special  attention  is  invited  to  the  very  great  superiority  of  this 
plan,  not  in  one  or  two  trifling  respects,  but  in  every  respect. 
Any  one  of  these  advantages  is  amply  sufficient  to  secure  its  uni- 
versal adoption,  while  all  combined  render  it  incomparably  better 
than  any  other — it  having  the  advantages  of  all,  no  disadvantages, 
and  many  excellences  unknown  to  all  others.  In  short,  it  is 
nature’s  style  of  architecture.  And  its  allowing  the  eight  or 
twelve-sided  plan,  soon  to  be  shown  to  gain  one-fifth  by  its  form 
alone,  caps  the  climax  of  its  value. 


SECTION  III. 

DEFECTS  IN  THE  USUAL  SHAPES  OF  HOUSES. 

Since  some  shaped  houses  contain  twice  and  even  thrice  as 
much  room  as  others,  compared  with  their  amount  of  wall,  and 
that  much  better  adapted  to  household  purposes,  the  best  form 
for  a house  becomes  a matter  of  prime  importance — even  a gov- 
erning condition — and  requires  judicious  investigation.  How  can 
I inclose  the  most  space,  so  shaped  that  it  can  be  partitioned 
off  into  rooms  best  adapted  to  my  requisitions,  should  be  your 
great  inquiry.  This  brings  up  the  defects  of  most  houses. 

27.  HIGH  AND  LOW  HOUSES. 

Low  houses  cost  much  more,  compared  with  their  room,  than 
high  ones.  Foundation  and  roof  cost  the  same  for  a one,  as  for 
a four-story  house,  yet  the  latter  contains  four  times  as  much 
room,  or  four  houses  in  one ; and  all  for  less  than  double  the 
expense — a saving  of  about  one-half. 

“ But  I want  all  my  rooms  on  one  floor,  for  I don’t  like  this 
running  up  and  down  stairs — this  living  in  the  garret  and  cooking 
down  cellar !”  exclaims  some  weakly  fidget,  as  horrified  at  the 
sight  of  stairs  as  a mad  dog  at  that  of  water.  Then  build  as  you 
please,  but  for  one,  I dislike  to  sleep  on  the  first  floor,  because 
more  or  less  dampness  will  ascend,  causing  colds,  fevers,  and 
premature  death.  Nor  do  I like  to  sleep  directly  under  the  roof, 
because  so  insufferably  hot  evenings  as  to  induce  one  to  throw 
off  all  the  bed-clothes  on  retiring,  yet  rapidly  cooling  toward 
morning,  by  dew  or  rain,  so  as  to  cause  chilis  and  colds,  but 


HIGH  AND  LOW  HOUSES. 


57 


decidedly  prefer  an  intermediate  story,  so  as  to  escape  both  these 
evils,  and  secure  dryness,  and  as  even  a temperature  as  possible. 
To  human  health  and  happiness,  sound  sleep  is  second  in  im- 
portance only  to  air  and  food,  so  that  good  sleeping  apartments 
are  more  important  than  even  a good  parlor  ; and  these  can  not 
be  had  in  a house  less  than  two  and  a half  or  three  stories.  It  is 
especially  bad  to  sleep  right  over  an  unventilated  cellar ; for  the 
poisonous  gases  generated  by  stale  or  decaying  vegetables  are 
both  noxious  and  insidious. 

Ventilation,17  too,  is  as  important  in  a house  as  breath  to 
human  life  and  strength.  Yet  no  one-story  house  can  be  well 
ventilated  ; much  less  if  located  low,  whereas  a high  house  natu- 
rally causes  the  air  to  draw  up  from  bottom  to  top,  because  the 
atmosphere  is  lighter  above  than  below,  which  naturally  not  only 
facilitates  and  increases  all  breezes,  but  even  creates  a draft  when 
there  is  no  breeze  ; on  the  principle  that  a high  chimney  promotes 
draft*.  And  the  higher  the  house  the  cooler  and  more  com- 
plete this  ventilation  in  summer,  and  the  warmer  in  winter.  Hot 
air  naturally  ascends,  which  cools  the  house  in  summer,  and  warms 
it  in  winter,  whereas,  in  a low  house,  it  escapes  out  of  doors,  in- 
stead of  into  upper  rooms ; which  renders  heating  it  much  more 
expensive. 

And  are  not  the  rooms  even  more  accessible  in  a high  than 
low  house  ? Suppose  you  require  the  room  of  a three-story 
house  30  by  40,  is  it  not  easier  to  ascend  10  feet  than  go 
from  40  to  50  on  a level,  and  to  ascend  18  feet  than  walk  60 
to  100  ? 


Fig.  1. 


a 

Entry. 

b 

Thus,  how  much  more  difficult  is  it  to  ascend  two  flights  of 
stairs  than  to  walk  from  a to  b , which  is  over  100  feet  on  a scale 
of  16  feet  to  the  inch.  And  then  see  how  much  more  room  is 
* 3* 


58 


DEFECTS  IN  SHAPES  OF  HOUSES. 


consumed  by  the  entry  than  if  you  had  merely  a stairway.  To 
accommodate  a large  family  takes  a good  many  rooms,  which,  if 
all  on  one  story,  would  require  an  immense  roof  and  foundation, 
and  must  be  every  way  awkward  and  inconvenient,  besides  look- 
ing so  low.  And  why  is  not  a bed-room  as  handy  on  the  second 
story  as  first  ? Is  going  up  stairs  twice  a day — once,  to  prepare 
the  bed,  and  again  to  occupy  it — or  even  more,  so  very  irksome  1 
Even  to  cook  a story  below  where  you  eat  is  not  so  bad,  if  a 
dumb  waiter  is  provided  to  transport  food  and  dishes  back  and 
forth.  Yet  a light,  airy  basement  is  no  inferior  eating  place. 
Both  to  look  well  proportioned  and  to  be  convenient,  houses  re- 
quire to  be  about  two-thirds  as  high  as  wide.  Small  houses 
should  be  at  least  a story  and  a half,  and  large  ones  two  or  three 
stories,  according  to  size. 

28.  LARGE  AND  SMALL  HOUSES. 

A small  house,  compared  with  its  room,  costs  much  more  than 
a large  one,  and  is  much  less  comfortable,  because,  first,  it 
requires  more  wall  to  inclose  it,  as  compared  with  its  number  of 
square  feet.  Thus,  a mile  below  St.  Charles,  111.,  is  a one-story 
stone  house,  ten  feet  square,  and  its  walls  one  foot  thick.  Of 
course,  it  is  8 feet  square  inside,  and  contains  64  square  feet 
to  40  feet  of  outside  wall,  or  about  one  and  a third  feet  of  wall 
to  every  square  foot  of  room.  Now,  a house  20  feet  square  in- 
side gives  400  square  feet  of  room  to  80  feet  of  wall,  or  5 feet 
of  room  to  1 foot  of  wall,  which  is  more  than  350  per  cent,  more 
inside  room,  compared  with  its  outside  wall,  than  the  10  feet 
house.  But  a 40  feet  house  gives  1,600  square  feet  to  160  feet 
of  wall,  or  10  feet  of  inside  room  to  every  foot  of  outside  wall. 
Observe,  reader,  some  nine  times  more  room  in  the  large  house, 
compared  with  its  outside  wall,  than  in  the  small  one!  Verily, 
are  not  these  small  houses  more  expensive,  compared  with  what 
room  they  yield,  than  one  would  suppose  ? One  80  feet  square, 
gives  6,400  square  feet  for  320  feet  of  wall,  or  20  feet  of  inside 
room  to  one  foot  of  wall,  which  is  fifteen  times  more  room  in  the 
large  than  small  house,  compared  with  its  wall.  It  would,  then, 
take  one  hundred  of  these  10  feet  houses  to  give  as  much  room 


LARGE  AND  SMALL  HOUSES. 


59 


as  is  given  in  one  80  feet  house.  To  present  this  in  a tabular 
form,  omitting  thickness  of  walls  : 


Sized  House.  Outside  Wall. 
10  feet  takes  40  feet, 
20  “ 80  “ 

40  “ 160  “ 

80  “ 320  “ 


Square  Feet. 

gives  100  inside  room. 
“ 400 

“ 1,600 
“ 6,400 


Now  reduce  these  by  division  to  their  lowest  denominations 
equally  by  cutting  off  their  ciphers,  and  we  have  the  following 
proportions  : 

1 2 4 8 sized  house. 

12  4 16  outside  wall. 

1 4 16  64  inside  room. 

Observe  the  law  here  involved.  While  the  increase  of  wall  is 
1.  2.  4.  8.  that  of  capacity  is  four  times  greater,  or  1.  4.  16.  64. 
By  increasing  the  wall  only  from  1 to  8,  you  increase  the  room 
from  1 to  64.  That  is,  the  wall  of  the  10  feet  square  house  is 
sixty-four  times  more  expensive,  for  its  room,  than  one  of  80  feet ; 
or  deducting  thickness  of  wall  from  all,  above  ninety  times.  In 
other  words,  ninety  dollars  go  no  farther  in  making  the  outside 
walls  of  a 10  feet  square  house,  than  one  dollar  goes  in  making 
one  80  feet  square.  Of  course,  this  does  not  reckon  the  partition- 
ing of  the  large  house,  yet  inside  partitions  are  far  less  expensive 
than  outside  walls. 

But  see  with  what  force  this  law  applies  to  large  and  small 
rooms.  A bedroom,  7 by  9,  takes  32  feet  of  wall,  yet  gives  only 
63  feet  of  room ; and  if  only  7 feet  ceilings,  441  cubic  feet  of 
air ; whereas,  one  20  feet  square  takes  80  feet  of  wall,  and  gives 
400  square  feet  of  room,  or  over  six  times  more  room  in  propor- 
tion to  its  wall,  or  six  rooms  in  one ; and  if  13  feet  high,  gives 
5,200  cubic  feet  of  breathing- timber,  or  almost  twelve  to  one. 
Now,  what  will  be  the  additional  cost  of  this  large  room  over  the 
small  one.  It  costs  no  more  for  doors  and  windows,  for  one  of 
each  will  serve  the  large  just  as  well  as  the  small  one  ; and  only 
two  and  a half  times  more  studding,  lathing,  base-boards,  and  plas- 
tering, and  not  two  and  a half  times  as  much  labor;  for  it  takes 
no  more  time  to  lay  out , or  mark  off,  the  large  than  tjie  small 


60 


DEFECTS  IN  SHAPES  OF  HOUSES. 


room,  or  to  strike  20  feet  lines  than  7 or  9,  no  more  trouble  to 
erect  the  scaffoldings  for  placing  them,  or  for  lathing  or  plaster 
ing,  and  not  much  more  time,  when  once  at  it,  to  stud,  or  lath,  or 
plaster.  Of  course  you  have  six  times  as  much  floor  and  ceiling, 
yet  it  takes  much  less  labor  in  proportion,  and  wastes  much  less 
stuff  to  lay  a large  floor  than  a small  one. 

As  to  the  height,  pray  how  much  more  does  it  cost  to  make  a 
high  than  low  room  ] Studding  comes  never  less  than  12  and 
usually  13  feet.  Hence,  if  your  walls  are  only  7 or  8 feet  high, 
you  must  cut  off  5 or  6 feet  of  each  stud,  to  be  wasted , as  to 
splice  costs  more  than  new.  It  costs  no  more  to  place  a long 
stud  than  a short  one ; and  hence  a high  room  costs  no  more  for 
doors,  windows,  floors,  studdings,  or  base-boards  than  a low  one, 
and  only  more  for  lath,  plastering,  and  mortar.  Then,  pray,  how 
much  for  that  ? A room  7 by  9 is  11  yards  round.  Now  since, 
as  just  seen,  it  costs  no  more  for  studs  or  placing  them,  or  for 
doors,  windows,  floors,  ceiling  (by  which  is  meant  over-head  ceil- 
ing), or  base-boards,  the  only  additional  expense  of  a room  13 
feet  high  over  one  7,  is  the  lath  and  plastering.  Lath,  at  $1  75 
per  thousand,  costs  2£  cents  per  square  yard,  and  putting  on  and 
plastering  about  5,  6,  or  7 more,  say  outside  at  10  cents  in  all. 
Now  a room  7 by  9,  13  feet  high,  has  22  yards  more  of  plaster- 
ing on  its  sides  than  one  7 feet  high,  and  therefore  at  10  cents  per 
square  yard,  costs  only  $2  20  more.  A room  20  feet  square  and 
13  feet  high  has  about  54  square  yards  more  of  lathing  and  plas- 
tering than  one  7 feet,  and  of  course  costs,  at  10  cents  per  yard, 
$5  40,  the  interest  on  which  for  one  year  is  only  38  cents,  or 
only  about  one  mill  per  night,  yet  contains  almost  twelve  times 
as  much  of  life’s  great  staple,  air.  The  studding  of  the  large 
room,  at  $10  00  per  1,000  feet,  will  cost  about  $8  00,  and  for 
the  small  one  about  $3  25,  difference,  $4  75 ; base-boards  for 
large  room,  $1  50,  small  room.  65  cents,  difference,  85  cents; 
putting  up  studding,  base-boards,  etc.,  say  difference  $1  00;  lath- 
ing and  plastering  large  room,  $5  40,  small  room,  32  cents,  dif- 
ference, $5  08.  The  difference  of  cost  in  the  floor  is  about  pro- 
portionate to  the  size  of  room,  except  that  one  can  lay  a large 
floor  much  faster  and  at  less  waste  of  stuff  than  a small  one. 
The  large  floor  may  possibly  cost  the  most  by  $10  00.  The 


LARGE  AND  SMALL  HOUSES. 


61 


doors  and  windows  will  be  about  the  same,  only  a little  larger — 
the  same  number  of  pieces,  only  longer,  for  frames,  casings,  etc., 
and  worth  about  the  same.  The  difference  would  not  probably 
exceed  a dollar,  or  two,  at  most.  A room  20  by  20,  and  13  feet 
high,  might  possibly  cost  more  than  one  7 by  9,  and  7 feet  high, 
from  $30  00  to  $35  00,  which,  at  7 per  cent,  interest,  is  only 
about  one-half  of  a penny  per  night;  yet  the  small  one  con- 
tains only  441  feet  of  air,  while  the  large  one  contains  5,200 ! or 
almost  twelve  times  as  much,  and  all  for  only  half  a penny  per 
night  rent,  orone- fourth  the  price  of  a cigar!  Now  for  which, 
reader,  prefer  you  to  lay  out  your  earnings,  for  one-fourth  of  a 
cigar  per  day,  and  440  feet  of  breathing-timber  at  night,  or  for 
5,200  feet  of  this  precious  life-giving  element  without  the  cigar  'l 
How  can  you  spend  a penny  per  day  so  as  to  obtain  any  thing 
like  as  much  real  good,  and  even  sumptuous  luxury , as  for  this 
large  sleeping-room.  In  your  small  room  you  are  obliged  either 
to  breathe  your  air  over  and  over  again  for  the  twentieth  time 
every  night,  or  sleep  with  the  wind  blowing  directly  on  you. 
And  if  two  occupy  the  same  bed,  how  doubly  bad  in  the  small, 
and  good  in  the  large  one.  Contrast  your  feelings  in  the  morn- 
ing. Waking  up  in  the  small  room,  you  feel  dull,  stupid,  gloomy, 
oppressed,  yawny,  lax,  and  all  unstrung  in  body  and  mind,  be- 
cause almost  stifled  for  want  of  breath ; in  the  large  one,  fresh, 
lively,  strong,  bright,  happy,  and  healthy.  And  how  much  more 
can  you  enjoy  and  accomplish  during  the  day  ! Especially  during 
a lifetime!  In  the  spent  air  of  your  small  room  you  discharge 
the  poisonous  carbonic  acid  gas,  generated  by  the  life  process, 
but  slowly,  or,  rather,  re-inhale,  about  as  fast  as  you  discharge  it, 
and  this  will  soon  leave  your  system  loaded  down  with  disease, 
and  cause  a fit  of  sickness,  which  will  cost  more  for  doctor’s  bills 
and  loss  of  time  than  several  such  rooms.  If  poor,  this  is  the 
very  reason  why  you  should  sleep  in  large  rooms,  lest  you  get 
sick,  especially  since  it  need  cost  only  half  a penny  per  night. 
The  poorer  you  are,  the  better  you  can  afford  to  pay  this  large- 
room  life  and  health  insurance  of  some  two  dollars  per  year. 

The  same  general  principles  apply  to  large  and  small  sitting- 
rooms,  and  particularly  to  warming  them.  A small  room  heats 
up  quickly  and  cools  off  rapidly,  and  this  perpetual  change  of 


62 


DEFECTS  IN  SHAPES  OF  HOUSES. 


temperature  is  as  detrimental  as  uncomfortable.  Who  has  not 
noticed,  on  first  entering  a small  room,  containing  several  persons, 
how  terribly  repulsive  and  suffocating  its  atmosphere,  rendered  so 
by  so  many  breaths  in  so  small  a room.  To  retain  a comfort- 
able, even  temperature  in  a small  room  is  not  possible.  To  occupy 
them  is  wicked,  because  destructive  of  health  and  life,  and  there- 
fore suicidal.  And  how  much  more  so  in  sickness? 

Another  advantage  of  a large  over  a small  house  is,  that  out- 
side wall  costs  far  more  in  proportion  than  inside,  and  still  an- 
other, that  having  less  surface,  it  receives  and  evacuates  less  heat 
and  receives  less  cold.  Thus,  as  a house  15  by  25  has  only  about 
four  square  feet  per  one  of  surface,  whereas  one  40  feet  square  has 
10.  Of  course  the  former  in  a very  hot  day  becomes  twice  and  a 
half  times  as  hot,  and  in  very  cold  weather  evacuates  fire-heat, 
and  receives  out-of-door  cold,  twice  and  a half  times  faster  than 
the  large  one.  In  a large  house  the  sun  shines  on  only  a small 
part  of  any  one  room  at  a time,  the  other  walls  of  the  room  being 
screened  from  the  sun’s  rays  by  adjoining  rooms.  A like  prin- 
ciple applies  to  cold,  and  to  one  and  five-story  houses. 

29.  NUMBER  OF  ROOMS  DESIRABLE. 

The  poor  man,  who  is  obliged  to  cut  his  garment  according  to 
his  cloth,  must  often  content  himself  with  small  rooms  and  few 
of  them,  but  those  who  have  the  means  of  building  a mansion  to 
their  liking,  will  do  well  to  inquire  whether  money  may  not  be 
well  spent  in  making  a much  larger  number  of  rooms  than  is  now 
considered  desirable.  Most  men,  even  of  wealth,  who  lavish 
thousands  on  ornament,  and  would  spend  other  thousands  if  they 
saw  any  place  for  profitable  investment,  nevertheless  content 
themselves  with  kitchen,  parlors,  and  bed-rooms.  Yet  are  there 
no  other  family  ends  almost  equally  requisite?  Thus,  sewing  is 
an  important  family  end.  Would  it  not  be  well  to  fit  up  one 
room  expressly  for  this  class  of  work,  containing  all  necessary 
fixtures,  with  closets  for  dry-goods,  etc.  This  would  save  the 
litter  and  clutter  of  this  work  in  other  rooms,  and  materially  facil- 
itate its  accomplishment. 

Especially  is  it  important  that  every  child,  and,  indeed,  perma- 


NUMBER  OF  ROOMS  DESIRABLE. 


63 


nent  members  of  every  family,  should  have  a separate  room, 
exclusively  to  himself  or  herself.  Where  two  or  three  children 
occupy  the  same  room,  neither  feel  their  personal  responsibility 
to  keep  it  in  order,  and  hence  grow  up  habituated  to  slatternly 
disorder,  whereas,  if  each  had  a room  “ all  alone  to  themselves,” 
they  would  be  emulous  to  keep  it  in  perfect  order,  would  feel 
personally  responsible  for  its  appearance,  would  feel  ashamed  of 
its  disarrangement,  would  often  find  themselves  alone  for  writing 
or  meditation,  but  especially  will  feel  a perfect  satisfaction  of  the 
home  element  ;2  whereas,  otherwise,  this  powerful  faculty  is  of 
necessity  left  in  a craving,  home-sick  state,  and  this  throws  the 
entire  mind  also  into  this  same  home-sick,  dissatisfied,  cross-grain- 
ed state,  which  irritates  temper  and  ruffles  amiableness.  Prob- 
ably few  readers,  never  having  experienced  the  luxury,  while 
young,  of  this  “ own  room”  feeling,  are  at  all  prepared  to  duly 
estimate  this  point ; nor  would  the  writer,  but  for  some  obser- 
vations which  would  probably  have  escaped  those  not  habituated 
to  the  analysis  of  character — such  as  tracing  discontent  to  its  real 
cause.  Think  a moment.  Suppose  you,  an  adult,  to  occupy  a 
house  in  common  with  another,  with  no  part  of  it  exclusively  your 
own.  How  infinitely  rather  occupy  inferior  rooms  all  your  own. 
Now  this  “ own”  feeling  appertains  as  much  to  children  and  their 
home  as  to  adults,  though  less  in  degree.  This  indispensable 
human  need  this  plan  supplies. 

Again,  children,  especially  from  twelve  to  twenty,  lose  much 
time  for  study,  writing,  musing,  and  self-improvement,  because 
obliged  to  be  with  others,  or,  at  least,  liable  to  interruptions,  and 
hence  yield  their  entire  time  to  mental  dissipation.  And  how 
much  better  every  body  can  study,  think,  do  business,  any  thing, 
in  their  own  place,  than  in  a place  not  theirs.  Reader,  please 
measure  the  value  of  this  principle.  Especially,  try  it  by  giving 
a child  his  own  room,  and  then  taking  it  away. 

Satisfying  this  home-feeling  will  also  contribute  immeasurably 
to  their  love  of  the  old  homestead.  Without  it,  it  is  only  their 
father* s home,  not  theirs.  Then  how  can  they  become  personally 
interested  in,  or  attached  to,  it  ? But,  by  giving  them  their  own 
apartment,  they  themselves  become  personally  identified  with  it, 
and  hence  love  to  adorn  and  perfect  all  parts. 


64 


DEFECTS  IN  SHAPES  OF  HOUSES. 


To  daughters  this  is  doubly  important,  as  teaching  them  how  to 
keep  house.  Besides  being  taught  practically  to  have  a place  for 
their  own  things,  and  to  keep  things  in  their  place,  having  their 
own  bureau  and  closets  arranged  after  their  own  fashion,  which 
no  one  dares  to  molest,  they  are  taught  practically  how  to  receive 
and  entertain  company.  Visitors  in  the  parlor  are  not  their 
company,  so  that  to  treat  them  becomingly  is  not  their  special 
duty.  Otherwise,  when  their  visitors  cross  their  threshold,  they 
then  put  on  the  lady  and  take  the  lead,  and  become  clothed  with 
the  dignities  of  mistress  of  ceremonies.  And  how  much  more 
gracefully,  lady-like,  and  queenly  do  they  conduct  them  at  home 
than  in  mother’s  parlor! 

Perhaps  this  company  will  stay  to  tea.  Here  is  now  a most 
inspiring  incentive  to  her  to  cultivate  the  housekeeping  arts  and 
accomplishments.  Perhaps  father  and  mother  will  be  invited  out 
to  tea  up  into  her  room  to  taste  her  cakes  and  dainties,  and  this 
stimulates  housekeeping  ambition  to  its  highest  pitch.  In  ways 
innumerable  like  these  will  this  “ own  room”  plan  promote  the 
development  of  children. 

Sleeping  by  themselves  is  also  a first-rate  plan,  both  for  health, 
and  to  prevent  their  imbibing  any  thing  wrong  from  other  chil- 
dren ; nor  are  their  slumbers  disturbed  by  a restless  bed-fellow. 
Nor  do  they  keep  each  other  awake  nights,  or  in  bed  mornings, 
by  talking.  In  fact,  many  most  desirable  ends  does  this  plan 
subserve — at  least  enough  to  require  its  adoption  by  every  parent 
who  can  afford  it. 

A greater  number  of  spare  rooms  for  company  than  is  gener- 
ally found,  is  desirable.  Hospitality  is  a heavenly  virtue.  It  pro- 
motes interchange  of  thoughts,  a pleasurable  flow  of  feeling,  and 
thousands  of  like  ends  ; and  though  often  made,  by  false  approba- 
tiveness,  somewhat  more  costly  than  necessary,  yet  it  in  reality 
need  cost  little.  To  make  a great  parade  and  show  does  indeed 
cost,  yet  this  is  not  hospitality,  is  not  even  polite,  for  this  show 
makes  the  visitor  feel  that  he  is  putting  his  host  to  extra  trouble, 
and  this  mars  the  visit;  whereas  mere  ordinary  fare,  only  one 
extra  plate,  makes  all  parties  free  to  enjoy  the  visit,  without  ren- 
dering it  so  soon  tiresome.  I never  want  to  stay  where  they 
make  a fuss  for  me.  Make  me  “our  folks,”  or  I’m  off. 


NUMBER  OF  ROOMS  DESIRABLE. 


65 


Another  end  secured  by  a goodly  number  of  rooms,  is  order. 
With  few  places  to  put  things,  one  thing  must  be  displaced  to 
make  room  for  another,  and  this  for  still  another,  which  renders 
order  absolutely  impossible.  But  all,  even  the  poor,  have  more 
things  than  ..places  to  put  them,  which  necessarily  produces  dis- 
order. 

Merchants  find  the  classification  of  their  goods  indispensable, 
or  separate  rooms  for  different  classes  of  things.  And  why  not 
this  principle  equally  requisite  in  a complete  house  ? Different 
cellars  for  specific  articles,  specific  rooms  for  fruits,  and  so  through 
out  each  important  end  its  owner  may  seek  to  obtain.  But  with 
this  statement  of  the  thought,  we  leave  each  reader  to  apply  the 
details  as  required  by  his  own  individual  tastes  and  wants.  My 
own  house  has  sixty  rooms,  but  not  one  too  many. 

To  large  houses  women  often  object  that  it  takes  such  a world 
of  toil  to  keep  a large  house  well.  I say  the  reverse.  It  takes 
twice  the  work  to  keep  a small  house  well  as  is  required  for  a 
large  one.  A small  house  and  few  rooms  must  be  all  clutter, 
confusion,  and  helter-skelter ; but  in  a large  house  things  once 
located  can  remain.  A room  not  used  requires  no  cleaning, 
except  an  occasional  cobweb  brushed  down ; nor  much  of  that, 
for  flies,  and  of  course  spiders,  are  scarce  in  dark,  untenanted 
rooms.  And  often  the  use  of  a room  for  a single  week  in  a 
year  will  well  repay  the  annual  interest  on  its  cost. 

Most  desirable,  in  every  really  good  house,  is  a play-room  for 
children,  a gymnastic  room  for  females,  and  a dancing-room. 
Physiology  urges  the  importance  of  private  dancing  parties, 
especially  for  sedentary  fashionables  and  confined  operatives. 
How  many  a debilitated  constitution  would  they  resuscitate! 
How  many  hopeless  invalids,  now  dying  by  inches,  would  such 
rooms  in  our  buildings  restore  to  life,  health,  and  happiness! 
How  many  a child  save  from  a premature  grave ! Mankind  are 
dying  offlike  diseased  sheep,  in  consequence  of  pure  ennui.  They 
want  action.  How  extravagantly  fond  of  play  are  all  children ! 
Why  ? Because  their  growth  demands,  with  resistless  imperious- 
ness, muscular  exercise  and  free  inspiration.  But  no  ; if  in  a 
village  or  city,  they  must  not  go  abroad  for  fear  of  accidents  and 
bad  associates,  nor  make  any  noise  within  doors,  because  it  dis- 


66 


DEFECTS  IN  SHAPES  OF  HOUSE8. 


turbs  ma’s,  or  aunt’s,  or  granny’s  tea-intoxicated  nerves,  lashed  up 
almost  to  the  point  of  derangement  by  the  want  of  just  such  an 
exercise-room.  No  one  thing  would  confer  as  great  a blessing 
on  sedentary  men,  women,  and  children,  physically,  intellectually, 
or  morally,  by  developing  their  physical,  and  thereby  their  mental 
faculties,  as  an  exercise  and  amusement  room.  Here  they  might 
use  their  lungs  and  race  about  without  restraint. 

30.  LARGE  AND  SMALL  BARNS  AND  OUT-HOUSES. 

A single  application  of  this  law  to  barns  and  out-buildings. 
One  farmer  builds  a large  60  feet  barn,  putting  corn-crib,  wagon- 
house,  grainery,  and  all  out-buildings  under  one  roof.  Another 
builds  a barn  20  by  30,  a wagon-house  10  by  15,  a corn-crib  5 by 
15,  a grainery  and  store-rooms  10  by  15,  etc.  The  former  builds 
240  feet  of  wall,  and  gets  3,600  feet  of  room,  or  15  for  1 ; while 
the  latter  builds  240  feet  of  wall,  yet  has  only  975  feet  of  room, 
or  only  4 to  1.  That  is,  the  wall  money  of  the  former  goes 
almost  four  times  further  than  that  of  the  latter.  The  relative 
amount  of  roofing  is  the  same ; yet  in  making  the  two  there  is 
this  vast  difference : the  former  has  one  set  of  plates,  rafters,  etc., 
while  the  latter  has  a set  for  each  building.  The  latter  uses  short 
stuff,  and  thus  cuts  lumber  to  great  disadvantage,  and  has  to  get 
ready  to  build  four  times  to  the  former  one,  and  this  getting  ready 
is  half  the  battle.  About  the  same  amount  of  flooring  is  required 
for  both,  but  observe,  the  large  barn  has  longer  timbers,  yet  not 
half  as  many.  And  then  how  much  more  handy  to  do  his  work. 
For  instance,  the  former  drives  his  carriage  to  that  part  of  his 
barn  appropriated  to  the  carriage,  unharnesses,  and  leads  his 
horses  directly  into  the  stall,  while  the  latter  has  to  take  his  out 
of  doors , opening  and  shutting  doors,  perhaps  getting  wet  or 
muddy,  etc.  How  vastly  more  handy  to  have  all  this  work  done 
together  under  one  roof,  than  to  have  to  go  from  one  to  another, 
and  from  that  to  a third,  and  then  back  to  the  first,  and  so  on  from 
day  to  day  and  year  to  year ! If  objected  that  one  fire  will  bum 
out  the  former  completely,  the  latter  only  in  part,  then  be 
careful.  Yet  if  near  together,  the  difference  is  trifling. 

A like  advantage  is  gained  by  building  one  house  large  enough 


LONG  AND  NARROW  HOUSES. 


67 


to  contain  wood-house,  wash-room,  and  other  like  offices,  now 
usually  carried  on  in  separate  out-buildings.  But  by  this  time 
the  reader  must  perceive  the  great  principle  involved,  and  can 
apply  it  for  himself ; and  in  determining  how  large  you  will  build, 
remember  that  you  are  building  for  life , and  can  therefore  afford 
to  make  other  things  bend  to  this. 


31.  LONG  AND  NARROW  HOUSES, 

Besides  being  out  of  all  proportion,  are  very  inconvenient, 
obliging  you  to  perform  quite  a journey  in  going  from  one  extreme 
to  another.  Compactness  of  room  is  most  desirable,  because  it 
facilitates  the  grouping  of  rooms  around  or  contiguous  to  one 
another,  thereby  rendering  the  passage  from  room  to  room  both 
short  and  easy,  which,  in  a long  and  narrow  house,  is  absolutely 
impossible. 

It  also  takes  more  wall  to  inclose  the  same  number  of  square 
feet  in  a long  and  narrow  than  square  or  round  shape.28  To  illus- 
trate by  diagrams. 

Suppose  Fig.  2 is  four  inches  long  by  a quarter  of  an  inch  wide, 
it  will  contain  one  square  inch. 

Fig.  2. 


THE  LONG  AND  NARROW  FORM. 


Fig.  3 is  two  inches  long  by  half  an  inch  wide,  and  contains 
one  square  inch. 

Fig.  8. 


THE  LONG  AND  NARROW  FORM. 


Fig.  4 is  one  inch  square,  and  contains  one  square  inch. 


68 


DETECTS  IN  SHAPES  OF  HOUSES. 


THE  SQUARE  FORM. 


Fig.  5. 


Now  let  Fig.  2 represent  a box  four  feet  long  and  a quarter  of  a 
foot  wide : it  contains  only  one  square  foot ; yet  its  outside  wall  is 
eight  and  a half  feet.  Let  Fig.  3 represent  one  two  feet  long  and 
half  a foot  wide ; it  also  contains  one  square  foot,  yet  it  is  only 
jive  feet  in  circumference;  while  a box  one  foot  square  contains 
just  as  much  room,  yet  is  only  four  feet  round — less  by  one  half 
than  Fig.  2,  yet  of  the  same  capacity. 

Surprised  at  this  result,  you,  perhaps,  inquire  how  is  this  pos- 
sible ? Observe : A house  100  feet  long  and  1 foot  wide  con- 
tains only  100  square  feet,  but  takes  202  feet  of  outside  wall,  or 
just  2 feet  of  outside  wall  to  1 foot  of  inside  room.  If  two  feet 
wide,  it  would  be  only  two  feet  farther  round,  yet  contain  double 
the  room,  or  about  one  foot  of  room  to  each  foot  of  wall.  If  5 
feet  wide,  it  is  210  feet  round,  yet  contains  500  square  feet,  or 


LONG  AND  NARROW  HOUSES. 


69 


some  two  and  a half  feet  of  room  to  one  of  wall,  whereas  the 
first  was  less  than  half  a foot — an  increase  of  five  hundred  per  cent. 
Carry  up  the  supposition  to  100  feet  wide — it  gives  10,000  square 
feet  to  400  feet  of  wall,  or  over  22  feet  of  room  to  one  of  wall, 
instead  of  half  a foot,  as  in  the  one  foot  wide  house,  which  is 
forty-five  times  more  room  in  proportion  to  wall.  Please 
ponder  over  and  re-read  this  point  till  you  have  mastered  it,  and 
till  you  both  see  that  it  is  so,  and  why  ? 

This  same  law,  which  governs  all  measurements,  renders  the 
circumference  of  the  circle,  in  proportion  to  its  capacity,  less  than 
that  of  any  other  figure ; and,  of  course,  the  nearer  any  figure 
approaches  to  the  spherical,  the  greater  will  be  its  capacity,  com- 
pared with  its  surface.28 

Since,  then,  the  circle  gains  even  on  the  square,  of  course  a 
square  house  holds  more,  for  its  wall,  than  a long  and  narrow 
one,  and  a round  one  than  a square  one.  Consequently,  long  and 
narrow  houses  cost  more  for  wall,  foundations,  etc.,  than  square 
ones,  compared  with  their  room. 

To  inclose  a house  100  by  10,  you  have  to  build  220  feet  of 
wall,  yet  have  only  1,000  square  feet.  One  30  by  80  takes  the 
same  220  feet  of  wall,  yet  gives  2,400  square  feet,  or  almost  twice 
and  a half  as  much  room  for  the  same  wall.  Put  this  wall  into  a 
square  form,  we  have  a house  55  feet  square  and  3,328  square 
feet,  yet  only  the  same  220  feet  of  wall.  That  is,  the  latter  con- 
tains as  much  room  as  both  the  former , lacking  only  72  square  feet, 
yet  has  not  one  inch  more  wall. 

This  result,  stated  in  a former  edition,  was  stoutly  denied  by 
a neighboring  mechanic,  because  he  could  not  see  how  it  should 
be.  I inquired,  “ Erect  a building  50  by  10,  how  many  feet  of  wall 
does  it  take?”  He  replied,  “ 120.”  “Now,  how  many  square 
feet  does  it  contain?”  “Ten  into  fifty,  or  500,”  he  answered. 
“ And  how  many  feet  of  wall  does  it  require  to  inclose  one  30 
feet  square?”  “ Four  times  30  are  120,  the  same  as  the  other,” 
he  rejoined.  “ And  how  many  square  feet  does  it  contain  ?” 
“Thirty  times  thirty  of  course,  or  900.”  “Lacking  only  100 
square  feet  of  being  double,”  I replied.  “Then  build  both  walls 
close  together — you  have  100  feet  of  wall,  and  no  space  inclosed.” 
“ I see  it  is  so,  but  can’t  see  whyfi  said  he. 


70 


DEFECTS  IN  SHAPES  OF  HOUSES. 


The  reader  is  requested  to  master  fully,  and  to  remember,  the 
principle  here  demonstrated,28  as  we  shall  have  frequent  occasion 
to  refer  to  it  hereafter.  Indeed,  the  knowledge  of  this  law  led  to 
those  architectural  studies  and  improvements  which  this  work  was 
written  to  expound. 

32.  THE  WINGED  STYLE  IS  DOUBLY  OBJECTIONABLE, 

Because  it  involves  the  loss  just  shown  to  appertain  to  long 
and  narrow  houses,31  in  addition  to  that  of  four  long  strips  in  each 
corner.  Suppose  the  walls,  a,  had  been  made  at  6,  and  c at  e?, 
Fig.  6,  they  would  not  have  been  an  inch  longer,  but  would  have 
inclosed  all  the  space  marked  “ Lost”  in  Fig.  6,  and  thus  of  each 
of  the  other  three  corners. 

This  is  a ground  plan  of  a winged  house,  drawn  on  a scale  of 
sixteen  feet  to  the  inch,  and  represents  the  upright,  32  by  28,  and 
the  wings,  24  by  24  each.  The  arrangement  of  the  ground  rooms 
are  usually  much  as  here  represented  : P for  parlor,  24  by  16 ; E, 
entry,  10  by  32;  S,  sitting-room;  B,  B,  bed-rooms ; K,  kitchen  ; 
c,  closets,  etc.  It  is,  therefore,  24  + 24  + 28  = 76  feet  long,*  its 
circumference,  28  x 2 + 32  x 2=  120  feet  for  the  upright  and 
gable  ends  of  the  wings,  and  24  x 4 for  the  rest  = 96  + 120  = 216, 
the  total  circumference  of  the  outside  wall.  Yet  it  contains  only 
2,048  square  feet  on  the  first  floor ; whereas,  a square  house  of  the 
same  circumference  =216-^-4  = 54  x 54  = 2,916,  or  a clear  gain 
of  one-third  just  by  the  mere  form  of  the  square  house  over  the 
winged  one.  That  is,  if  the  square  one  costs  $4,000,  the  winged 
one,  though  not  a foot  larger  on  the  ground,  would  cost  $6,000 — 
an  item  worth  saving — besides  the  additional  expensiveness  of 
building  three  small  houses,  as  in  the  winged  style,  instead  of 
one,  as  in  the  square. 

Another  loss  accrues  in  the  height  of  these  wings,  which  are 
generally  only  one  story  high,  while  the  upright  is  usually  two 

* For  the  sake  of  simplifying  and  abreviating,  mathematical  signs,  as 
generally  used,  will  be  employed  in  our  calculations,  namely  : -f-  as  a sign 
for  addition,  — the  sign  for  subtraction,  that  for  division,  and  X that 
for  multiplication,  while  = signifies  equal  to.  Our  sum,  then,  reads  thus  : 
24  added  to  24  and  28  equals  76  feet. 


THE  WINGED  STYLE  OBJECTIONABLE. 


71 


Fig  6. 


stories.  Not  to  reckon  the  attics  in  either  house,  because  they 
are  comparatively  unused,  observe  that  all  this  expense  of  founda- 
tions and  roofs  of  these  wings  is  incurred  for  a single  story.21 
Now,  the  additional  expense  of  carrying  them  up  another  story 
would  scarcely  exceed,  if  it  equaled,  the  extra  cost  of  making 


72 


DEFECTS  EN  SHAPES  OF  HOUSES. 


three  frames,  three  sets  of  rafters,  plates,  eave-troughs,  etc.,  for 
the  winged  house,  in  place  of  one  in  the  square ; and  yet  you 
have  one  story  on  each  wing  more  room.  Or  thus : the  winged 
house  contains  24X24X2  + 32X28X2=2,944  square  feet; 
while  the  square  house  contains  54  x 54  x 2 = 5,832  square  feet. 
Reduce  these  by  fractions,  thus : 

5,832  _729_  91  2 

2.944  ‘ 8“368^8“46~^5“'9  ^9“I 

That  is,  the  square  house  contains  just  twice  as  much  as  the 
winged  one — another  loss  by  the  winged  structure,  of  no  small 
moment,  in  addition  to  all  the  others. 

If  you  should  carry  this  square  house  up  three  stories,  it  would 
contain  8,748  square  feet  to  the  winged  one’s  2,944 ; or, 

8,748  _1,093£  _136§  _27  _3. 

2,944“ 8 _ 368~  “8“T6~ “5~ ¥~'9“r 

or  over  three  times  as  much  room  in  the  square  house  of  three 
stories,  as  in  the  winged  one  two  stories  in  the  upright  and  one 
story  wings.  Yet  the  square  one  would  cost  the  least.  Just 
the  frame  of  the  winged  one  would  cost  considerable  more  than 
that  of  the  three-story  square  one. 

Another  great  loss  consists  in  making  so  many  extra  angles. 
Instead  of  four,  as  in  the  square  house,  you  have  twelve,  and  every 
board,  lath,  and  timber  employed  in  making  it,  not  only  has  to  be 
cut,  to  the  shameful  waste  of  stuff,  but  also  of  mechanics’  time  to 
unite  every  angle,  and  fit  every  joint.  Corners  are  very  expen- 
sive, yet  the  room  they  inclose  is  almost  useless — a third  loss  by 
the  winged  style.  See  Fig.  11,  and  explanation. 

Another  proportionate  loss  is  sustained  by  the  entries,  which, 
in  houses  of  this  kind,  should  be  at  least  ten  feet  wide.  Thus  the 
room  lost  in  the  winged  house  is  10  x 32  = 320,  and  double  this, 
or  640,  in  the  two  stories ; whereas  that  in  the  double  house  is 
54x  10  = 540x2=1,080.  Subtract  the  640  square  feet  entry 
of  the  winged  house  from  its  2,944  square  feet,  leaves  only  2,304 
square  feet  within  the  rooms;  whereas  subtract  the  1,080  square 
feet  entry  of  the  square  house  from  its  5,832  square  feet,  we  have 
4,752  square  feet  within  the  rooms,  which  reduce : 


THE  WINGED  STYLE  OBJECTIONABLE. 


73 


4,752  396  33  _ 2. 

2^04_13_192  13~16  ’ 16_1  ’ 

which  is  more  than  double  the  number  of  square  feet  within  the 
rooms  of  the  square  house  than  within  those  of  the  winged  one  !* 

To  present  these  gains  and  losses  in  a tabular  form,  the  circum- 
ference of  each  being  216  feet : 

Winged  house.  Square  house. 

No.  square  feet  in  first  floor 2,048  ....  2,916 

No.  square  feet  in  second  floor,  . . . 896  ....  2,916 

Total  in  both  floors 2,944  ....  5,832 

Subtract  the  2,944  square  feet  in  the  winged  house  from  the 
5,832  square  feet  in  the  square  house,  and  there  is  lacking  only 
88  square  feet  of  being  double  in  the  square  house  over  and  above 
the  winged  one.  Or,  if  the  square  house  be  three  stories,  it  will 
contain  three  times  as  much  as  the  winged  one,  lacking  only  84 
square  feet.  Better  sink  two-thirds  of  your  building  money  in 
the  sea,  and  build  a three-story  square  house  with  the  balance, 
than  to  build  a winged  house  with  the  whole.  So  much  for  this 
fancy  style. 

And  then,  how  it  looks!  Wings  on  houses  are  not  in  quite  as 
good  taste  as  on  birds.  How  would  a little  apple  or  peach  look 
stuck  on  each  side  of  a large  one?  Yet  winged  houses  are  just 
as  disjointed  and  out  of  taste.  Such  a house — three  times  as  long 
as  wide  ; so  low  and  yet  so  long ; great  outside  and  little  inside ; 
the  parlor  less  than  a mile  from  the  kitchen,  and  separated  from 
all  the  rest  of  the  house  by  a wide,  cold,  cheerless  entry ; the 
heat  radiating  from  every  room  out  of  doors,  instead  of  into 
adjoining  rooms,  as  in  a square  house ; every  room  in  the  house, 
except  the  second  story  of  the  upright,  absorbing  dampness  from 
the  three  foundations,  and  all  but  the  lower  story  of  the  upright 
heated  in  summer  to  suffocation  by  the  scorching  sun  on  the  roofs ; 
the  freezing  winds  of  winter  pouring  in  direct  from  without  through 
so  much  outside  surface,  instead  of  the  different  rooms  sheltering 
each  other’s  sides  ;22  the  light  shining  from  several  points  of  com- 

* In  this,  as  in  many  like  reductions  of  fractions  and  other  calculations, 
the  remaining  fractions  are  dropped,  because  too  insignificant  to  effect  the 
general  result. 


4 


74 


DEFECTS  IN  SHAPES  OF  HOUSES. 


pass,  whereas  it  should  shine  into  each  room  from  but  one  direc- 
tion, because  a cross  light  is  so  bad  for  the  eyes ; one- third  of  both 
stories  of  the  whole  upright,  or  600  of  the  2,900  feet,  or  one-fifth 
of  the  whole  house,  consumed  by  an  entry  which  is  a perfect 
nuisance  in  winter,  and  almost  useless  in  summer ; and  every 
thing  about  it  so  perfectly  extravagant  and  inconvenient — let 
purse-proud,  empty-headed  nabobs  throw  away  themselves,  their 
comfort,  and  their  money  on  winged  houses,  but  give  me  some 
other  form.  Surely  none  will  build  winged  houses  but  those 
who,  from  sheer  thoughtlessness  or  inability,  fail  to  perceive  their 
disadvantages. 

“ This  difference  can  not  be  possible,”  many  will  exclaim ; but, 
if  such  doubt  my  figuring,  they  will  find  their  own  to  agree  sub- 
stantially with  these  results,  for  arithmetic  can  not  lie. 

The  principle  here  involved  is  also  still  further  demonstrated 
by  a calculation  of  the  number  of  cubic  feet  contained  in  the  two 
houses.  Suppose  each  story  of  each  house  to  be  10  feet  high. 
The  square  house  contains  54  x 54  x 10  cubic  feet  in  each  story, 
equaling  29,160  x 2 = 58,320  in  both,  or,  deducting  10,800  for  the 
entries,  47,520  within  the  rooms ; while  the  winged  house  has 
only  29,440  cubic  feet  in  both  stories,  less  6,400  in  the  entries 
= 23,040.  Now  the  difference  in  a lifetime  between  living  in  a 
house  which  contains  47,000  cubic  feet  of  breathing- timber,  com- 
pared with  one  which  contains  only  23,000,  or  less  than  one-half 
as  much,  is  no  trifle.  Give  me  air,  and  since  we  all  spend  one 
half  of  our  lives  within  doors,  a roomy  house  is  a very  great  de- 
sideratum. 

But  the  square  house  can  be  carried  up  three  stories  cheaper 
than  the  winged  one  can  be  built  only  two  in  the  center,  and  the 
wings  one,  and  will  then  contain  87,480  minus  16,200 — a differ- 
,71,000  5 

ence  of  - • = -,  or  twice  and  one  half  more  cubic  feet  in  the 

/gOjOUO  Z 

three- storied  square  house  than  in  the  winged,  which  rarely  is,  and 
can  not  well  be,  carried  up  higher  than  just  estimated,  whereas 
the  square  of  that  size  looks  better  three  stories  than  less.  All 
this,  besides  the  greater  heat  in  summer  in  the  winged  house, 
while  the  square  one  has  a middle  story  neither  damp  nor  hot, 
but  admirable  for  sleeping-rooms.  And  in  this  winged  house  you 


THE  COTTAGE  OR  DORIC  STYLE. 


75 


have  no  wood-house,  nor  any  place  for  any,  without  its  darkening 
some  of  your  rooms  and  enhancing  its  unsightliness.  Not  so 
with  a square  one. 

Some  will  censure  me  for  dwelling  thus.  I do  so  partly  to  show 
what  foolish  antics  moneyed  simpletons  will  play,  for  no  other 
earthly  reason  than  to  be  fashionable,  but  mainly  to  demonstrate 
some  mathematical  laws — as  enduring  as  Nature — to  be  applied 
hereafter,  as  well  as  that  the  reader  may  fully  comprehend  the 
basis  of  these  calculations,  which  will  render  him  certain  that 
they  are  correct. 

33.  THE  COTTAGE  OR  DORIC  STYLE. 

“ Ah,  this  is  the  plan  for  a most  beautiful  and  most  perfect 
house.  How  cunning,  how  pretty,  it  does  look !”  is  the  general 
talk.  Being  all  the  rage,  it  must  indeed  be  “ a good  many  touches 
above  common.”  Let  us  see. 

Every  room  joins  foundation  or  roof.  This  is  a decided  objec- 
tion, as  already  seen.21  And  why  this  extra  steepness  of  roof? 
Its  admirers  must  certainly  love  to  lay  and  swelter  in  an  attic 
room  August  nights  better  than  I do,  or  else  they  would  not  take 
so  much  pains  to  make  so  much  more  roof  than  is  necessary,  and 
this  so  steep  as  to  catch  the  full  power  of  the  sun.  And  then, 
see  how  much  more  expensive  such  roofs  are  for  the  room  shelter- 
ed, consequent  on  their  steepness,  which  greatly  increases  their 
cost,  at  the  same  time  that  it  actually  injures  the  house. 

And  then,  why  so  many  roofs,  and  corners  in  these  roofs,  which 
are  doubly  expensive  and  far  poorer,  in  every  respect,  than  if  in 
two  whole  sheets  ? The  raftering,  boarding,  shingling,  uniting  the 
eight  sheets  of  roof  at  their  catercornered  junctions,  so  as  to  pre- 
vent their  leaking,  the  room  thrown  away  in  the  peaks,  and  the 
Unified  fixings  around  the  roofs,  put  on  for  ornament,  yet  violating 
every  principle  of  correct  taste,  all  condemn  this  style. 

And  here  let  me  develop  the  law  which  governs  this  whole  sub- 
ject of  taste  and  beauty . Nature  furnishes  our  only  patterns  of  true 
ornament.  All  she  makes  is  beautiful,  but,  mark,  she  never  puts 
on  any  thing  exclusively  for  ornament  as  such.  She  appends  only 
what  is  useful,  and  even  absolutely  necessary,  yet  so  appends  it 


76 


DEFECTS  IN  SHAPES  OF  HOUSES. 


as  that  all  necessary  appendages  add  to  beauty.  Take  mouth, 
nose,  ears,  hands,  feet,  etc.,  as  examples,  or  the  various  parts  of 
flowers,  etc.  Every  thing  in  Nature  is  the  perfection  of  beauty, 
yet  is  any  single  useless  ornament  found  throughout  all  her 
works  ? Suppose  the  body  lumbered  up  with  a parcel  of  useless 
appendages,  however  beautiful  they  might  be  where  they  were 
useful,  yet  should  we  be  any  more  handsome  ? Should  not  we 
be  deformed  thereby  ? How  would  a gold  ring,  however  exquis- 
itely carved,  look  in  the  nose  or  lips'?  How  ugly  would  those 
dangling  ear-rings  look,  if  custom  did  not  reconcile  us  to  their  use. 
Other  fashionable  toilet  appendages  might  be  cited  as  still  more 
ridiculous,  simply  because  put  on  for  ornament,  where  they  are 
worse  than  useless.  But  the  law  of  things,  that  whatever  append- 
age, however  beautiful  where  it  is  useful,  therefore  deforms, 
instead  of  adorns,  where  it  is  useless,  is  too  plain  to  require  addi- 
tional illustration,  and  its  application  to  these  finified  carvings  and 
cornicings  of  the  cottage  style,  too  palpable  to  excite  any  thing 
but  disgust  in  those  of  correct  tastes.  For  a child  whose  tastes 
are  yet  immature  to  be  tickled  by  them,  would  not  be  surprising, 
but  for  the  elite  to  be  enamored  with  them  only  shows  how 
green  they  are,  at  least  in  architecture. 

For  the  same  reason  that  the  form  of  a winged  house  is  objec- 
tionable, is  the  cottage  shape  proportionally  so  ; for  it  consists  in 
reality  of  an  upright  and  two  wings,  excepting  that  there  are  four 
sets  of  rafters,  etc.,  with  roofs  bunglingly  joined,  instead  of 
three,  as  in  the  winged,  and  one  in  the  square  house.  The  ac- 
companying diagram  will  best  illustrate  this  point.  (See  Fig.  7, 
p.  77.) 

The  entry,  E,  must  of  course  be  in  the  middle  of  the  upright 
part,  and  this  leaves  four  little  rooms  scarcely  better  than  none — 
A,  B,  C,  and  D — and  the  balance  of  the  rooms  miserably  par- 
titioned. Suppose  the  house  were  built  out  square  with  the  up- 
rights, namely,  with  those  dotted  lines  in  the  figure,  besides  the 
net  gain  of  the  four  figures,  a , 6,  c,  cf,  the  other  four,  A,  B,  C,  D, 
joined  with  them,  would  make  so  much  larger  rooms  of  A a,  B b , 
C c*,  D rf,  without  building  an  inch  more  of  outside  wall,  and  with 
a saving  of  all  those  corners,  so  wasteful  of  stuff,  and  so  hinder- 
some  to  the  carpenter. 


THE  COTTAGE  OF  DORIC  STYLE. 


77 


Fig.  7. 


The  same  calculations  which  showed  the  loss  consequent  on  the 
winged  structure,  will  apply  both  to  the  cottage  and  the  cross 
structure.  Both  are  combinations  of  folly  and  extravagance,  and 
destructive  alike  of  beauty  and  utility. 

Another  phase  of  this  principle  will  still  more  forcibly  illustrate 
the  superiority  of  the  square  form  over  the  winged  and  cottage 
styles.  An  enterprising  neighbor  consulted  me  about  building  an 
addition  to  his  barn.  The  old  one  was  some  15  by  30,  marked 
A,  in  the  accompanying  figure  (Fig.  8),  and  he  proposed  to  build 
two  more  of  the  same  size  on  each  corner,  marked  E and  F,  and 
asked  what  I thought  of  this  plan.  I replied  : “ Suppose  the  wall 
a had  been  built  at  b , c at  d,  e at  f g at  h , and  i at  j,  you  would 
have  had  all  these  spaces,  B,  C,  and  D,  added  to  your  inclosed 


78 


DEFECTS  IN  SHAPES  OF  HOUSES, 


Fig.  8. 


r d 
b B 

a A e 

' h ' 

c /! 
1 
1 

c 

i 

9 

E 

l D k 

F 

3 

AN  AWKWARD  BARN. 


room,  without  adding  one  inch  to  your  foundations-  or  walls,  and 
with  an  actual  saving  of  the  walls  l and  Jc.  By  your  proposed  plan 
you  have  only  1,350  feet  of  room,  but  by  mine  2,700,  or  exactly 
twice  as  much  room,  yet  60  feet,  or  almost  one- fourth  less  of 
wall  and  foundation,  wThich  will  almost  make  up  the  extra  cost  of 
roof.  Double  the  room  and  one-fourth  less  wall  makes  a differ 
ence  of  some  sixty-two  per  cent,  more  of  room  in  proportion  to 
wall  by  my  plan  than  yours.”  “ I declare,”  he  exclaimed,  “ I do 
wish  I had  seen  you  before.”  “ Besides,”  I added,  “ you  can  not 
get  from  one  barn  to  another  without  going  out  of  doors. 

34.  ADDITIONS  STUCK  ON. 

Invited  to  deliver  the  address  before  the  literary  societies  of 
Pultney  Academic  Institute,  Vt.,  I observed  a house  in  that  vil- 
lage, with  some  pretensions  to  style,  built  as  in  Fig.  9.  H,  house 
proper ; K,  kitchen  ; W,  wood- house.  Now,  pray,  how  much  more 
wall  foundation  would  it  have  taken  to  have  built  his  walls  where 
the  dotted  lines  are?  Not  an  inch,  and  yet  he  would  have  in- 
closed those  two  large  spaces,  l /,  now  lost.  This  same  length 
of  wall  could  have  been  made  to  inclose  more  than  double  the 


UNSIGHTLY  ADDITIONS. 


79 


Fig.  9. 


l 

W 

K 

H 

l 

AN  EXTRAVAGANT  HOUSE. 


room  it  now  does,  without  costing  one  cent  more,  except  for  floor 
and  roof.  And  yet,  observe  in  traveling,  almost  every  house 
commits  a like  error,  or,  rather,  extravagance;  for  it  is  a thought- 

Fig.  10. 


K 

W 

U 

L 

UNSIGHTLY  ADDITIONS. 

U,  upright ; K,  kitchen ; W,  wash-room  and  wood-house ; L,  lost. 


less  but  wicked  waste  of  building  money.  Nearly  all  have  an 
upright,  a kitchen  part,  in  the  form  of  a T or  L,26  and  then  some 


80 


DEFECTS  IN  SHAPES  OF  HOUSES. 


outbuildings,  as  wash  or  wood-house,  built  upon  the  back  of  all 
these.  Look  at  such  houses  with  a critic’s  eye.  Do  they  not  strike 
you  as  out  of  all  proportion,  besides  the  loss  of  all  the  room  em- 
braced in  the  dotted  lines.  Observe  the  double  loss,  first  these 
buildings  being  long  and  narrow,  whereas  a square  one  would 
have  inclosed  much  more,25  and  secondly,  that  marked  by  dotted 
lines. 

Another  loss,  not  yet  estimated,  but  consequent  on  the  winged, 
cottage,  and  cross  structure,  is  in  their  corners.  Reference  is 
now  had,  not  to  the  loss  of  time  and  materials  consequent  on 
constructing  a wall  of  a given  length  all  full  of  corners,  compared 
with  making  a strait  one  of  the  same  length — that  is,  the  saving 
occasioned  by  building  a square  house  with  only  four  right-angles, 
compared  with  the  loss  of  materials  and  labor  consequent  on 
making  twelve  corners,  as  in  the  cottage,  cross,  and  winged 
styles — itself  a very  great  loss — and  all  without  gaining  any  thing 
but  a loss ; but  I refer  to  the  loss  inside  the  rooms — not  to  the 
loss  of  time  and  material  of  making  twelve  inside  as  well  as  out- 
side corners,  but  to  the  room  lost  in  the  corners  themselves.  The 
corners  of  rooms  are  of  little  use  any  way,  because  dark,  far  from 
the  fire,  disparaging  to  furniture,  and  rarely  occupied.  This  is 
true  of  all  corners,  and  of  course  the  loss  is  three  times  as  great 
in  the  cottage,  cross,  and  winged  styles  as  in  the  square  one,  be- 
cause they  contain  four  times  as  many  corners,  and  these  nearer 
together.  And  this  loss  appertains  to  both  stories.  Let  the 
following  diagram  (Fig.  11)  illustrate  the  principle  here  in- 
volved. 

A house  with  these  corners  left  out,  as  in  those  dotted  lines, 
would  contain  just  about  as  much  available  or  useful  room  as 
with  them.  Now  suppose,  instead  of  losing  four  corners  in  each 
story,  you  lose  twelve,  this  loss  amounts  to  considerable,  in  ad- 
dition to  all  those  other  losses  already  pointed  out.  Away,  then, 
with  all  three  of  these  fancy  styles.  Those  who  fancy  or  adopt 
them  must  be  either  weak  or  thoughtless — weak  if  they  can  not 
perceive  their  inferiority  in  every  respect,  and  thoughtless  if  they 
can,  but  do  not. 

To  sum  up  these  results.  Low  houses  are  far  more  expensive, 
less  comfortable,  and  every  way  inferior  to  high  ones.  Large 


UNSIGHTLY  ADDITIONS. 


81 


Fiff.11. 


LOSS  OCCASIONED  BY  CORNERS. 


houses  are  much  cheaper,  relatively,  than  small  ones.  The  wing- 
ed, cottage,  and  all  irregular  forms  of  houses  cost  far  more  than 
the  square,  yet  are  far  inferior  to  it,  besides  making  far  less  show 
in  proportion  to  cost. 


4* 


SECTION  IV. 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 

35,  IT  CONTAINS  ONE-FIFTH  MORE  ROOM  FOR  ITS  WALL, 

But  is  the  square  form  the  best  of  all  ? Is  the  right-angle  the 
best  angle  % Can  not  some  radical  improvement  be  made,  both 
in  the  outside  form  and  the  internal  arrangement  of  our  houses  ? 
Nature’s  forms  are  mostly  spherical.  She  makes  ten  thousand 
curvilineal  to  one  square  figure.  Then  why  not  apply  her  forms 
to  houses'?  Fruits,  eggs,  tubers,  nuts,  grains,  seeds,  trees,  etc., 
are  made  spherical,  in  order  to  inclose  the  most  material  in  the 
least  compass.  Since,  as  already  shown,  a circle  incloses  more 
space  for  its  surface,  than  any  other  form,25  of  course  the  nearer 
spherical  our  houses,  the  more  inside  room  for  the  outside  wall, 
besides  being  more  comfortable.  See  figures  2,  3,  4,  5.  Of 
course  the  octagon,  by  approximating  to  the  circle,  incloses  more 
space  for  its  wall  than  the  square,  besides  being  more  compact 
and  available.  Why  not  employ  some  other  mathematical  figures 
as  well  as  the  square  % These  reasonings  developed  the  architec- 
tural principle  claimed  as  a real  improvement,  and  to  expound 
which  this  work  was  written.  Hitherto  men  have  employed  the 
right-angle,  because  it  costs  so  much  to  frame  other  angles ; yet 
our  gravel-wall  plan  obviates  this  difficulty,  it  being  as  easy  to 
corner  at  an  octagon  as  rectangle.  And  since  the  principle  here 
involved  is  the  grand  basis  of  that  architectural  superstructure 
attempted  to  be  reared  in  this  volume,  the  author  may  do  well  to 
elucidate  it  fully,  and  the  reader  to  comprehend  it  perfectly.  To 
compare  the  square  with  the  octagon,  see  Figs.  12,  13. 

Fig.  12  is  four  inches  square.  Let  it  represent  a house  thirty- 


IT  ENCLOSES  MOKE  KOOM  FOK  ITS  WALL 


83 


two  feet  square,  one  inch  representing  eight  feet.  It  is  128  feet 
in  circumference,  and  incloses  1,024  square  feet. 

Fig.  12. 


THE  SQUARE  FORM. 

Fig.  13  is  an  octagon,  with  sixteen-feet  sides,  on  the  same 
scale,  and  having  of  course  the  same  circumference,  namely,  128 
feet.  But  it  contains  1,218  square  feet,  as  seen  by  the  following 
demonstration : 


Square  feet. 

A,  D,  E,  H,  is  16  by  39,  and  contains 624 

B,  C,  K,  N,  is  11  by  16,  and  contains 176 

I,  G,  M,  L,  is  also  11  by  16,  and  contains 176 

The  four  half-squares,  A N B,  CDK,  EIL,  and  G H M, 

make  two  squares,  each  11  feet. 242 


Total  number  of  square  fept  in  the  octagon  ...  1 ,218 


84 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


Fig.  13. 


But  the  square  of  the  same  circumference  contains  only  1,024 
square  feet.  So  that  the  octagon  exceeds  the  square  by  194 
square  feet — a gain  of  one-fifth. 

To  show  this  difference  by  reducing  their  respective  numbers 
of  square  feet  to  fractions.  Dropping  eighteen  square  feet  from 
the  octagon,  and  twenty- four  from  the  square,  the  sum  stands : 

12  . 6 

— — 2=  - = ONE-FIFTH  gain 

i u o 

in  favor  of  the  octagon.  That  is,  an  octagon  of  a given  circum- 
ference contains  more  than  a square  of  the  same  circumference  by 
100  square  feet  in  every  500  square  feet.  Now,  since  a given 
length  of  octagon  wall  will  inclose  one-fifth  more  space  than  the 
same  length  of  wall  in  a square  shape,  of  course  you  can  have  the 


IT  ENCLOSES  MORE  ROOM  FOR  ITS  WALL. 


85 


same  sized  wall  for  one-fifth  less  money,  or  the  wall  of  a house 
one-fifth  larger  for  the  same  sum ; for  this  gain  is  just  as  great  in 
the  foundation,  siding,  plastering,  painting,  whitewashing,  etc.,  as 
in  the  wall  proper.  It  appertains  alike  to  materials,  labor,  and 
every  thing  about  the  wall.  The  doors  and  windows  might  be 
considered  an  exception,  yet  they  are  not.  Given  sized  windows 
will  light  a room  more  than  those  a fifth  larger  in  the  octagon 
than  in  the  square — first,  because  the  latter  has  deep,  dark  cor- 
ners, which  will  be  dark  in  a cloudy  day  however  large  your  win- 
dows, which  is  not  the  case  with  the  octagon;  and  also  because 
the  octagon  form  makes  the  same  gain  in  the  depth  of  the  rooms 
that  it  does  in  the  length  of  the  walls,  that  is,  the  room  is  more 

COMPACT. 

To  put  together  two  important  results  at  which  we  have  thus 
arrived.  We  have  seen  that  a square  house  of  a given  circum- 
ference contains  more  than  an  oblong  one  of  the  same  circumfer- 
ence, and  an  octagon  more  than  a square.  Let  us  compare  them. 
Take  a house  24  feet  front  by  40  deep.  Its  circumference  is,  of 
course,  128  feet,  the  same  as  a 16  feet  octagon,  and  a 32  feet 
square.  But  it  contains  only  960  square  feet.  The  difference 
between  it  and  the  octagon  is  one-third,  as  reducing  the  square 
feet  of  both  to  fractions  will  show.  Thus  : 


1218  _i52  __19 

"960  ~l20  15 


1 

3’ 


equal  to  one-third  more  room  in  the  octagon  than  in  the  24-by- 
40  feet  house,  though  the  circumferences  of  both  are  exactly  the 
same. 

The  form  of  our  houses,  then,  is  not  so  trifling  a matter  after 
all.  The  practical  difference  between  building  the  outside  of  a 
house  for  $3,000,  or  just  as  large  and  good  a one  for  $2,000,  or 
in  that  proportion,  is  considerable,  especially  to  those  laborers 
who  earn  their  money  by  bone  and  muscle. 

But  the  difference  between  the  octagon  and  the  winged  is  still 
greater.  Suppose  the  upright  of  a winged  house  to  be  20  by  15 
feet,  and  the  wings  10  by  15  feet  each.  Its  circumference  will 
then  be  one  hundred  and  thirty — two  feet  more  than  the  circum- 
ference of  the  sixteen-feet  octagon.  The  winged  house  will  con- 


86 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


tain  only  20  x 15  + 15  x 10  + 15  * 10  = 600,  which  compares 
with  the  octagon  as  follows : 


1218  _ 152 

600  ' 75  ' 


25 

12 


12  2 
2=tr+6=T’ 


or  not  one  half,  though  having  more  outside  wall. 

But  suppose  the  upright  to  be  two  stories,  while  the  wings  are 
only  one,  which  is  usually  the  case,  while  the  octagon  is  two 
stories,  which  it  should  be  to  look  well,  the  winged  will  contain 
only  900  square  feet,  while  the  octagon  will  contain  2,436. 
Thus  : 


2436  203  _ 29  2£ 

900  75  ' 7 11  1 1 ’ 


two  and  a half  times  more  room  in  the  octagon  than  in  the 
winged  shape,  though  the  latter  is  two  feet  more  in  circumference. 
Now  the  difference  between  building  a winged  house  wall  for 
$2,500,  or  just  as  large  an  octagonal  one  for  $1,000,  is  something 
worth  considering.  Yet  even  all  this  saving,  great  as  it  is,  is  but 
a small  part  of  the  advantages  of  the  style  of  building  which  this 
book  was  written  to  propound  over  others  now  in  use,  which  we 
shall  see  -as  we  proceed. 

One  other  advantage  of  the  octagonal  style  over  the  square, 
and  especially  over  the  cottage  and  winged  styles,  deserves  to  be 
reckoned  in  this  comparison,  namely,  their  corners.  We  have 
already  seen,  in  Fig.  11,  that  the  corners  of  a square  room  are  of 
little  account,  because  dark,  useless  for  furniture,  and  rarely  occu- 
pied for  any  purpose.  In  fact,  an  octagon,  drawn  within  the 
square,  furnishes  about  as  much  available  room  as  the  square, 
yet  contains  only  eighty  feet  to  the  square’s  ninety-eight : 


98  =49 

80  ' 40 


a loss  of  twenty- five  per  cent,  in  the  amount  of  wall  in  the 
square  over  and  above  the  same  amount  of  available  room  in 
the  octagon.  But  suppose,  as  in  the  winged  and  cottage  styles, 
there  are  twelve  right  angles,  instead  of  four,  the  loss  is  in  the 
same  proportion : 


98___16 
54  9 


= almost  40  per  cent. 


IT  IS  MOKE  BEAUTIFUL. 


87 


Fig.  11  also  enables  us  to  show — what  has  doubtless  puzzled 
some  readers — why  this  gain  by  the  octagon  over  the  square.  It 
consists  in  the  fact  that  it  requires  more  wall  to  inclose  the  cor- 
ners, in  proportion  to  the  number  of  square  feet  which  they  con- 
tain, than  the  house  as  a whole.  Thus,  those  eight  lines  which 
form  the  four  right  angles  of  the  four  half  squares  in  the  corners 
of  the  square,  which  are  omitted  by  the  dotted  lines  of  the  octa- 
gon, are  seven  feet  per  side,  making  together  fifty-six  feet.  Yet 
they  inclose  only  two  seven-feet  squares,  or  ninety- eight  square 
feet,  or  four  feet  wall  to  seven  square  feet  inclosed.  That  is,  a 
foot  of  corner  wail  incloses  less  than  two  square  feet,  whereas  the 
octagon  has  only  80  feet  wall  to  its  478  square  feet,  which  is : 


478  _ 
80  ' 


or  six  square  feet  for  every  foot  of  wall ; whereas  the  four  cor- 
ners omitted  by  the  dotted  lines  contain  only  two  square  feet  for 
every  foot  of  wall.  That  is,  the  octagon  incloses  six  square  feet 
to  every  foot  of  wall,  while  the  triangles,  or  corners  of  square 
rooms,  inclose  only  two  square  feet  to  every  foot  of  wall — a dif- 
ference of  three  to  one,  which  is  lost  in  the  corners  of  the  square 
over  the  octagon  as  a whole. 

The  gain  in  twelve,  sixteen,  and  twenty-sided  figures  over  even 
the  octagon,  is  greater,  and  still  greater  in  proportion  as  the  figure 
approaches  the  circle.  Yet  so  many  corners  cost  more  extra  than 
they  save. 


36.  THE  COMPARATIVE  BEAUTY  OF  THE  DORIC,  SQUARE,  AND 
OCTAGON  FORMS. 


The  beauty  of  a house  is  scarcely  less  important  than  its  room. 
True,  a homely  but  convenient  house  is  better  than  a beautiful 
but  incommodious  one,  yet  beauty  and  utility,  so  far  from  being 
incompatible  with  each  other,  are  as  closely  united  in  art  as  in 
nature  ; that  is,  are  inseparable.  It  is  hardly  possible  to  have 
a truly  handsome  house  without  its  being  capable  of  being  made 
as  handy  inside  as  it  is  beautiful  outside ; nor  can  a homely- 
looking  house  well  be  made  convenient.  I repeat,  beauty  and 
utility  are  as  closely  united  in  architecture  as  they  are  through- 


88 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


out  all  Nature.  If,  therefore,  the  square  or  winged  form  of  house 
is  the  best,  it  will  look  best,  and  if  it  is  the  most  beautiful,  it  can 
be  made  the  most  comfortable. 

Form  imbodies  an  important  element  of  beauty.  Yet  some 
forms  are  constitutionally  more  beautiful  than  others.  Of  these 
the  spherical  is  more  beautiful  than  the  angular,  and  the  smooth 
and  undulating  than  the  rough  and  projecting.  Why  is  it  that  a 
poor  animal,  or  a lean  person,  is  more  homely  than  the  same 
animal  or  person  when  fleshy  ? Because  the  latter  are  less  angu- 
lar and  more  spherical  than  the  former.  Why  do  we  behold  flat, 
smooth  stones  with  more  pleasure  than  those  which  are  rough 
and  irregular,  but  because  there  are  less  angles  in  the  former 
than  the  latter?  Why  is  the  shape  of  apples,  peaches,  etc.,  more 
beautiful  than  of  chestnut  burs  ? This  principle  answers,  except- 
ing what  beauty  is  imparted  by  color.  And  the  more  acute  the 
angle,  the  less  beautiful ; but  the  more  the  angle  approaches  the 
circle,  the  more  beautiful.  Hence  a square  house  is  more  beau- 
tiful than  a triangular  one,  and  an  octagon  or  duodecagon  than 
either.  Of  course,  then,  the  far  greater  number  of  right  angles  in 
the  winged  and  cross  styles  than  in  the  octagonal,  and  the  high 
peaks  of  the  roofs  of  the  doric,  prove  them  to  be  less  handsome 
than  a square  house,  and  doubly  less  than  the  octagon.  For  one, 
I can  not  consider  cottages  or  wings  handsome.  They  always 
strike  me  as  unsightly,  and  well-nigh  deformed.  And  the  basis 
of  this  sentence  is  an  immutable  law  of  Nature.  Look  at  a dome, 
and  then  at  a cottage  roof,  full  of  sharp  peaks,  sticking  out  in 
various  directions,  and  say  if  the  undulating  regularity  of  the  for- 
mer does  not  strike  the  eye  far  more  agreeably  than  the  sharp 
projections  of  the  latter.  This  is  not  one  of  those  fancy  matters 
which  allow  of  diversity  of  opinion,  but  is  a fixed  ordinance  of 
Nature,  and  passes  no  enviable  sentence  on  the  tastes  of  those  who 
claim  to  possess  as  great  a preponderance  of  good  taste  as  of 
property,  besides  their  other  prerogatives.  And  facts  sustain  this 
theory,  as  all  will  say  who  compare  figures  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  9,  10, 
and  13  with  each  other. 

Since,  then,  the  octagon  form  is  more  beautiful  as  well  as  capa- 
cious, and  more  consonant  with  the  predominant  or  governing 
form  of  Nature — the  spherical — it  deserves  consideration. 


PLAN  OF  AN  OCTAGON  BASEMENT. 


89 


“But,”  some  will  ask, .“how  happens  it  that  our  author  is  so 
very  much  smarter  than  all  the  world  besides?  Why  has  not 
this  plan,  if  really  so  superior,  been  seen  and  put  in  practice  long 
ago,  especially  since  men  are  racking  their  inventions  in  search  of 
building  improvements  ?”  Because  of  the  greater  ease  of  framing 
the  right  angle  than  any  other ; and  unless  this  difficulty  can  be 
overcome,  it  will  be  cheaper,  after  all,  to  build  on  the  square  than 
on  the  octagonal  plan.  This  difficulty  is  wholly  obviated  by  our 
gravel-wall  plan,  which  enables  us  with  little  extra  expense,  and 
a great  increase  of  strength,  to  secure  our  octagon  form. 

But  can  this  octagonal  form  be  partitioned  off  into  rooms  as 
advantageously  as  the  square?  Far  more  so.  Let  us  see. 


37.  plan  of  an  octagon. 

This  plan  enables  us  to  dispense  with  an  upper  entry  almost 
altogether,  and  thus  to  save  one-fifth  of  our  room,  and  thereby 
escape  this  great  thoroughfare  for  winter  air,  as  well  as  this  sep- 
arator of  the  main  rooms  of  a house.  Entries  above  are  of  very 
little  use,  waste  about  a sixth  of  the  entire  house,  are  right  in  the 
way,  and,  in  many  respects,  perfect  nuisances. 

“ But  must  we  enter  directly  into  our  best  rooms  ? How  can 
we  do  without  them  ?”  I will  show  you.  Your  house  requires 
a thoroughfare,  that  is,  an  entry,  so  that  you  can  pass  through  it. 
But  where  shall  this  thoroughfare  be  ? Not  through  your  main 
story,  for  this  will  bring  in  the  most  dirt  where  it  is  most  trouble- 
some, namely,  near  your  nicest  rooms,  but  through  that  light, 
airy  basement  already  described.  You  require  this  entry  quite 
as  much  for  going  to  and  from  your  cellar  story  with  barrels, 
garden  sauce,  wood,  etc.,  as  for  the  special  accommodation  of 
your  parlors.  At  all  events  this  great  thoroughfare  should  be 
through  the  cellar  story,  a plan  for  which  is  seen  in  Fig.  14. 

One  great  advantage  of  this  plan  is,  that  it  allows  us  to  have 
the  basement  story  mostly  above  ground,  which  enables  us  to 
convert  the  whole  of  the  room  inclosed  by  the  foundation  to  some 
good  use,  instead  of,  as  by  the  old  plan,  wasting  all  but  a twenty- 
feet  square  hole,  which  is  less  than  a third  of  the  1,218  square 
feet,  inclosed  by  a sixteen -feet  octagon.  See  to  what  an  excel- 


90 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


lent  use  the  accompanying  ground-plan  converts  the  entire  octa- 
gon basement ! A wash-kitchen  for  the  rough  work  of  the  family 

Fig.  14. 


is  much  needed  in  every  house.  This  great  convenience  our  plan 
furnishes.  It  is  also  even  with  the  ground,  and,  of  course,  handy 
for  wood  and  water,  and  away  from  your  nice  rooms ; it  is,  in 
short,  just  where  it  should  be. 

A MILK  ROOM 

is  another  great  desideratum.  This  should  be  below  stairs,  yet 
be  light  and  airy ; and  our  plan  gives  just  the  one  wanted,  and 
just  where  it  is  most  convenient,  namely,  near  your  basement 
kitchen.  The  milk  can  also  be  taken  in  and  out  through  the  cel- 
lar entry,  and  thus  save  steps,  and  be  wholly  by  itself. 


PLAN  OF  AN  OCTAGON  BASEMENT. 


91 


A FURNACE 

is  by  far  a better  plan  for  warming  a house  than  separate  fire- 
places, or  grates,  or  stoves,  for  each  room.  It  is  much  more 
effectual,  and  every  way  more  convenient,  less  expensive,  and 
easily  tended.  Then,  the  making  of  one  fire  per  day  serves  for 
the  whole  house,  and  saves  time,  kindlings,  and  much  expense 
and  trouble,  besides  the  great  saving  of  fuel.  For  this  conven- 
ience our  plan  provides,  and  its  location  is  central,  so  that  it  can 
easily  heat  any  or  all  the  upper  rooms. 

A WOOD-HOUSE 

is  an  appendage  indispensable  to  a comfortable  house.  Nor 
should  it  be  away  off  at  the  extreme  end  of  a long  row  of  out- 
buildings, but  central.  Now  one  quarter  of  this  cellar  story  is 
just  the  place  for  it,  and  saves  the  entire  expense  of  wood-house 
foundation,  roof,  timber,  siding,  and  all,  yet  provides  an  admira- 
ble one,  and  in  a central  location,  close  to  the  fur\ace,  and  to 
that  central  staircase  which  connects  it  with  the  whole  house. 
When  you  want  wood,  therefore,  you  are  not  obliged  to  go  through 
hall  and  kitchen,  away  out  of  doors,  perhaps  through  snow  and 
rain,  but  go  from  any  part  of  the  house  directly  to  it,  as  if  you 
were  going  from  one  room  in  the  house  to  another.  This  room 
is  also  large  enough  to  hold  even  more  than  a full  storage  of 
wood,  and  will  furnish  an  admirable  place  for  tools,  etc.  The 
wood  can  be  cut  outside,  and  thrown  in  through  the  window,  W. 
Mark,  you  have  this  superb  wood-house  without  any  expense,  for 
you  build  it  while  laying  the  foundation  of  your  house;  whereas 
the  mere  expense  of  foundation  and  roof  for  one  is  considerable. 

A LARGE  LUMBER-ROOM 

is  also  provided  for  by  this  plan.  Every  house  should  have  such 
a room,  to  take  the  place  of  garrets,  only  more  accessible  and 
convenient,  for  waste  lumber  and  seasoned  timber — for,  perhaps, 
a work-bench — a very  handy  affair  about  a house.  Our  plan 
provides  just  the  place  required. 

Two  large,  lighted,  and  easily  ventilated  sauce-cellars,  in  addi- 
tion to  all  these  other  conveniences,  are  provided  for  by  this  plan, 
which  are,  of  course,  indispensable,  and  one  of  which  is  connected 


92 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


with  the  basement  kitchen.  But  see  how  easy  of  access  all  these 
rooms  are,  and  how  light  and  pleasant,  instead  of  damp  and  dark! 
And  the  arrangement  of  the  stairs  is  such  as  to  render  every  room 
in  this  basement  perfectly  accessible.  You  do  not  have  to  go 
through  several  to  get  to  one,  but  go  from  the  center  to  any  one 
of  them,  and  from  this  center  up  to  any  required  room  above. 

The  aggregate  number  of  square  feet  already  shown  to  be  con- 
tained in  a sixteen-feet  octagon,  is  1,218,  or  136  square  yards. 
Of  this,  the  entry,  6 or  8 by  39,  occupies  234  to  312;*  the  sub- 
kitchen contains  about  184  square  feet,  or  20  square  yards,  equal 

Fig.  15. 


* In  these  and  subsequent  as  well  as  preceding  estimates,  no  allowance 
is  made  for  the  room  occupied  by  wall,  which  being  trifling,  we  come  near 
enough  for  all  practical  purposes. 


PLAN  OF  AN  OCTAGON  MAIN  STORY. 


93 


to  a room  12  by  15,  but  can  easily  be  made  larger,  and  can 
have  two  windows,  by  having  the  partition  on  the  other  side  of 
the  window — though  this  would  render  one  sauce-cellar  dark 
and  small,  yet,  perhaps,  all  the  better — while  the  milk-room  can 
be  made  of  any  size  you  like.  Or,  the  milk  and  wood  rooms 
can  be  made  to  change  places.  There  is  space  enough  to  render 
these  rooms  sufficiently  large  for  all  practical  purposes,  and  you 
can  vary  their  relative  size  and  location  at  pleasure — no  small 
recommendation  of  this  plan.  How  incomparably  superior,  in 
every  respect,  this  basement  to  our  present  pit-hole  cellars,  with 
all  the  rest  of  the  foundation-room  thrown  away,  besides  the  ex- 
pense of  wood-house,  which  is  no  trifle  ! 

But  let  us  ascend  by  these  stairs — the  foot  of  which  should  be 
toward  the  sub-kitchen- — to  the  principal  story  of  the  house,  and 
see  how  we  can  arrange  its  rooms.  We  enter  into  that  triangle 
in  its  center,  which  should  have  been  drawn  larger,  large  enough 
to  receive  the  cellar  stairs,  and  also  to  admit  of  stairs  by  which 
to  ascend  to  the  story  above;  the  details  of  which  you  and  your 
carpenter  can  plan  to  your  liking. 

This  diagram,  drawn  on  the  same  scale,  gives  four  fine  large 
rooms,  of  the  following  dimensions: 


A parlor,  P,  18x19  = 

342  sq. 

ft.  = 38  sq.  yds. 

Sitting-room,  18  x 19  = 

342  “ 

= 38  “ 

Back  parlor,  12  X 16  = 

192  “ 

= 21  “ 

Dining-room,  12  X 20  = 
Closets  included  in  rooms. 

240  “ 

= 26  “ 

Total  net  room  on  first  floor, 

1,116*  14 

= 123  “ 

“ “ second  floor,  . 

1,146  “ 

“ “ third  “ 

Basement,  1,218  — 420  for  entry  and 

1,146  “ 

fire-place,  = . 

798  “ 

Attic,  1,218  — 24  stairway,  = . 

1,194  “ 

Total  net  room, 

5,406  “ 

To  compare  this  sixteen-feet  octagon  with  a large  house  having 
a kitchen  in  the  rear,  and  a wood-house  still  farther  back,  which 
is  the  usual  style  of  large  double  houses.  We  sometimes  see 

* Add  112  for  the  entry  and  stairs  = 1,228,  which  shows  our  estimates 
to  be  correct,  excepting  ten  square  feet. 


94 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


slight  deviations  from  this  partitioning  off  of  rooms,  but  this  is 
the  generic  type  of  nearly  all  such  houses.  Their  sizes  vary,  yet 
this  will  not  materially  affect  our  general  results. 

Let  this  large  and  splendid  mansion  be  three  stories,  40  by  42, 
with  a rear  kitchen,  18  by  26,  as  represented  in  Fig.  16. 

Its  total  circumference  is  216,  exactly  the  same  with  the  wing- 
ed house  drawn  in  Fig.  6 (see  p.  71).  Its  entire  contents  is 
42  x40+26X18  = 2,148  on  the  first  floor,  kitchen  included. 
From  this  deduct  its  entries,  10  x42+  R,  e,  10  x 4=  460,  and 
120  for  five  stacks  of  chimneys,  3 x 8 = 23  x 5 = 120,  and  you 
have  only  1 ,568  square  feet  within  the  rooms. 


On  the  first  floor,  of  net  room, 

“ second  “ “ ..... 

“ third  “ “ 1,680  — entry,  400,  and 

chimney,  120,  = ....... 

Cellar,  20x20= 


. 1,568 
. 1,568 

. 1,160 
. 400 


4,696 

Garret  story, 1,568 


6,264 


This  magnificent  mansion,  then,  exceeds  the  small  sixteen-feet 
octagon,  in  net  available  room,  only  858  square  feet,  or  one- 
ninth.  Or,  to  show  this  result  by  reducing  the  fractions — 


6264 

5406 


]2=^-10=l2 

450  45 


equal  to  one-ninth  difference.  That  is,  the  large  mansion  and 
the  small  octagon  are  to  each  other  as  ten  to  nine.  Yet  the  man- 
sion will  cost  more  than  four  octagons ; nor  will  the  former  bear 
any  comparison  with  the  latter  in  point  of  convenience ; of  which 
anon. 


38.  COMPARISON  OF  A DOUBLE  MANSION  HOUSE  WITH  A TWENTY- 
SEVEN-FEET  OCTAGON. 

Let  us  next  compare  the  net'  room  in  this  massive  double 
house  with  that  in  an  octagon  of  the  same  circumference,  namely 
216 -T- 8 =27  feet;  the  dimensions  of  which  are  given  in  the  dia- 
gram on  page  95,  drawn  on  a scale  of  16  feet  to  the  inch. 

This  octagon  is  64  feet  through.  Square  this,  64  x 64  = 4,096  ; 


COMPARISON  OF  HOUSES. 


95 


Fig.  16. 


LARGE  DOUBLE  MANSION. 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


96 


from  which  take  the  four  half  squares  at  the  four  corners  (one  of 
which  is  illustrated  by  dotted  lines),  which  equal  two  squares  20 
feet  each  =20  x 20  x 2 = 800 ; and  you  have  4,096  — S00= 3,296 
square  feet  within  the  octagon.  From  this  deduct  200  square 
feet  for  entries  and  stairway,  and  you  have  3,096  net  room. 


Net  room  on  the  first  floor, 3,096 

“ “ second  “ 3,096 

“ “ third  “ 3,096 

“ in  the  garret,  8,296— 4x8  = 32=  . . . 3,264 


“ basement,  deducting  entry  and  furnace,  . 2,600 
Total  net  room  in  the  three  stories,  garret,  and  basement,  = 15,162 
Reducing  the  net  room  in  both  houses  by  fractions,  they  stand 
thus : 


15152  to-  1263  ^_o_158 

6264  Z 522  * 8 65 


That  is,  the  octagon  contains  twice  and  almost  a half  as 
much  net  room  as  the  splendid  mansion  of  the  same  outside  wall, 
saving  that  the  kitchen  is  only  two  stories.  True,  we  reckon 
more  of  the  basement  of  the  octagon,  relatively,  than  of  the  man  • 
sion,  because  the  whole  of  the  former  will  be  turned  to  an  excel- 
lent practical  account ; yet  we  have  reckoned  as  much  of  the  cel- 
lar story  of  our  first  houses  as  is  generally  used.  Nor  hav^  we 
deducted  any  thing  on  account  of  those  useless  corners  between 
the  chimneys  and  walls. 

Besides,  see  what  a magnificent  upper  story  we  have  in  our 
octagon,  compared  with  the  garrets  of  the  mansion.  But  the  oc- 
tagon exceeds  the  mansion  no  less  in  its  size,  than  in 


39.  THE  SUPERB  ARRANGEMENT  OF  ITS  ROOMS. 

But  the  size  and  convenience  of  its  rooms  are  a still  greater 
advantage. 

F,  front ; D,  door ; W,  window ; c,  closet ; B,  bedroom  ; Par., 
parlor;  Pan.,  pantry;  D P,  dark  pantry;  Sit.,  sitting-room,  etc. 
1 do  not  say  that  this  inside  arrangement  of  rooms  is  the  best  that 
can  be  devised,  but  I do  say  that  it  incomparably  exceeds  any 
arrangement  of  rooms  of  which  the  square  house  admits.  Besides 
the  charm  of  novelty — of  differing  from  all  kinds  of  rooms  now 


SUPERB  ARRANGEMENT  OF  ROOMS. 


97 


Fig.  17. 


TWENTY-SEVEN  FEET  OCTAGON. 

in  use— it  will  combine  an  amount  of  advantages  found  in  no 
house  extant.  To  examine  them  more  particularly : 


The  parlor  is  19x27 

— 100  sq.  ft.  = 513  sq.  ft. 

= 67  sq.  yds. 

Library,  L, 

12  X 13  = 156  “ 

= 21*  “ 

Bedroom,  B,  off  library. 

13x13  = 169  “ 

= 19 

Sitting-room,  same  as  parlor,  513  “ 

= 57  “ 

Bedroom, 

12X15  = 186  “ 

= 21 

Winter  sitting-room, 

18x24=432  “ 

= 48 

Triangular  bath-room, 

72  “ 

= 8 

Kitchen,  K,  and  closets, 

13X36=  468  “ 

= 52 

Dining-room  and  closets, 

19x86-100  = 584  “ 

= 65 

Pantry  and  dark  pantry, 

188  “ 

— 12 

3,231 

360 

* Fractions  of  yards,  and  of  fractions,  are  sometimes  omitted;  and  some- 
times, if  over  half  a yard,  the  whole  yard  is  reckoned, 


98 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM, 


Now  it  is  submitted  to  any  practical  housekeeper  whether  the 
arrangement  of  the  rooms  in  this  house  is  not  two  and  a half 
times  better,  as  well  as  larger,  than  that  of  the  splendid  man- 
sion, 40  by  42,  as  regards  every  story,  from  basement  to  attic. 
Instead  of  being  separated,  all  the  rooms  are  united,  so  that  you 
can  go  from  one  to  another  without  being  obliged  to  pass  through 
a cold  and  cheerless  entry.  And  you  go  to  and  from  the  same 
point  to  go  up  as  down ; and  that  point  is  the  center,  which 
makes  the  distance  much  shorter.  Nor,  from  whatever  part  of 
whichever  room  you  may  start,  have  you  to  make  any  angle  in 
going  to  and  from  this  stairway ; whereas,  in  the  square  house, 
you  must  go  a long  and  circuitous  route,  as  seen  in  those  dotted 
lines.  Now  the  difference,  especially  to  a weakly  woman,  between 
going  from  room  to  room  by  a few  direct  steps,  and  by  those 
long  and  crooked  roads,  as  illustrated  by  those  tracks  or  dotted 
lines  in  the  two  houses,  is  very  great — more  than  double — in 
the  square,  compared  with  the  octagon  house.  I submit  this  point 
to  the  special  consideration  of  every  housekeeper,  and  leave  them 
to  say  whether  they  could  not  do  twice  the  work  with  the  same 
ease  in  the  octagon.  To  draw  a specific  illustration  from  getting 
an  armful  of  wood  for  your  square  house  parlor.  You  must  first 
go  several  steps  out  of  your  way — west  when  your  wood  is  east, 
to  get  to  your  entry,  and  then  traverse  its  whole  length,  then  go 
through  your  kitchen,  and  finally  out  of  doors  to  get  it,  and  re- 
trace your  steps  by  the  same  long-winded  and  door-hedged  route, 
and  through  three  doors ; whereas,  in  the  octagon,  you  go  direct 
from  every  room,  by  a few  steps,  to  your  stairway,  at  the  bottom 
of  which  is  your  wood-house,  completely  inclosed.  The  same 
difference  in  favor  of  the  octagon  is  equally  great  in  going  from 
any  part  of  either  house  to  any  part  of  the  other.  What  a vast 
number  of  steps  will  the  octagon  save  a large  and  stirring  family 
annually  over  the  square ! This  single  feature  of  this  plan  renders 
it  invaluable,  even  though  three  times  more  costly,  whereas  it  is 
much  less  expensive,  as  we  shall  soon  see.  It  will  at  least  enlist 
all  housewives — I do  not  mean  parlor  toys — in  its  favor ; and 
whatever  saves  their  steps  and  vexations  is  truly  invaluable. 

The  accommodation  of  a large  party  of  friends  furnishes  another 
illustration  of  the  decided  superiority  of  this  plan  over  the  square 


SUPERB  ARRANGEMENT  OP  ROOMS. 


99 


and  doubly  so  over  the  winged  or  doric  style.  Here  your  sitting- 
room,  parlor,  and  a large  bedroom  are  thrown  open  into  one 
room,  and  they  all  join  the  dining-room,  so  that  your  entertain- 
ment is  handy,  and  that  your  guests  may  go  from  room  to  room 
without  going  through  a cold,  wide  entry.  You  can  accommo- 
date a much  larger  company  in  the  same  sized  house,  and  this 
juxtaposition  of  rooms  greatly  promotes  sociability,  whereas  the 
dividing  entry  partially  breaks  the  spell. 

See,  too,  how  much  farther  the  same  heat  will  go  in  the  octa- 
gon than  in  the  square.  Its  escape  is  by  radiation  through  walls 
and  crevices,  and  by  open  doors.  In  the  octagon,  it  radiates  from 
the  sitting-room  into  the  parlor,  and  the  reverse,  or  into  adjoin- 
ing rooms,  and  is  therefore  saved ; whereas  in  the  square  house, 
it  radiates  from  both  sitting-room  and  parlor  into  the  entry,  and 
so  escapes.  And  if  an  inside  door  is  opened  in  cold  weather,  the 
wind  does  not  rush  in  like  a hurricane,  as  if  an  outside  door  was 
opened,  but  only  the  confined  air  of  an  adjoining  room  gently 
enters.  All  five  of  the  inside  or  entry  doors  of  the  square  house 
are  virtual  outside  doors,  unless  you  have  a fire  in  the  hall,  at  a 
great  cost  of  fuel  and  trouble,  and  without  even  then  doing  much 
good. 

The  kitchen  of  the  octagon  deserves  especial  remark.  The 
kitchen  is  the  stomach  of  the  house.  Shall  it  then  be  thrust  away 
back  out  of  doors,  into  another  building  1 This  would  be  like 
putting  the  human  stomach  away  down  in  the  feet.  In  the  octa- 
gon kitchen,  the  wife,  when  she  leaves  the  sitting-room  to*  attend 
to  kitchen  duties — pleasures — instead  of  feeling  that  she  is  going 
away  off  alone  out  of  doors,  feels  that  she  is  only  a step  removed 
from  the  rest  of  the  family.  What  say  you,  wives,  to  this  % 

The  sight  of  a tidy  kitchen  is  not  so  very  disgusting,  even  to 
men  of  refined  tastes.  None  who  are  not  too  extra  nice,  fastid- 
ious, and  fashionable  to  eat,  but  like  the  sight  of  the  kitchen — 
excepting  those  double-exquisite  ladies  who  are  as  cordially  dis- 
gusted with  household  duties  as  with  good  sense.  Sensible  men 
love  to  see  the  kitchen,  and  they  even  take  pleasure  in  going  into 
it.  In  fact,  the  kitchen  is  as  much  the  home  of  the  house  as  the 
house  is  of  the  farm — is  the  “ holy  of  holies”  of  fire-side  comforts. 
Then  put  it,  as  in  this  plan,  alongside  of  the  sitting-room  and 


100 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


dining-room,  and  in  the  very  heart  of  the  house,  instead  of  out 
doors,  as  in  the  square  form. 

It  is,  then,  very  important  that  it  be  tight  and  comfortable. 
Yet  the  square-house  kitchen  has  an  outside  door,  an  entry  door, 
a woodhouse  door,  and  a back-kitchen  door,  which  are  tantamount 
to  four  outside  doors,  besides  two  other  doors  and  all  its  win- 
dows ; so  that  the  wind  draws  through  and  rapidly  dissipates  its 
heat,  besides  being  in  a separate  building,  having  ^ts  kitchen 
stairway — virtually  five  outside  and  three  inside  doors.  Now  I 
like  my  one  outside  and  two  inside  doored  kitchen  the  best.  I 
say  two  inside  doors — the  stairway  and  sitting-room — because 
that  marked  in  our  plan  between  the  kitchen  and  bedroom  can  be 
omitted,  and  probably  should  be.  And  then  no  cold  could  come 
in  from  my  sitting-room  door,  for,  by  supposition,  that  room  is 
warm,  nor  much  from  the  stair  door,  because  there  should  be  a 
door  at  the  head  of  the  basement  stairs,  so  as  to  open  or  shut  the 
draft  from  the  basement  at  pleasure.  This  may  be  my  conceit ; 
but,  really,  I had  rather  have  one  of  my  kitchens  than  ten  of  your 
old-style,  wind-riven,  out-of-doors,  stomach-in-the-foot  shanties. 

Moreover,  see  what  a handy  little  basement  kitchen — close  by 
well  and  cooking-range — this  plan  furnishes,  which  the  old  virtu- 
ally denies,  all  but  a little  back  room,  unless  you  add  another  L 
on  beyond  your  kitchen.  And  my  wash-room  is  just  where  it 
should  be — down  stairs,  yet  light  and  dry — out  of  parlor  sight 
and  smell,  where  all  the  heavy  and  unpleasant  work  of  the  family 
can  be»done.  Or,  if  preferred,  this  basement  kitchen  can  be  made 
larger,  and  have  two  windows,  and  a dumb  waiter  to  carry  food 
and  dishes  up  and  down,  and  serve  as  the  kitchen  proper — one  of 
the  other  basement  rooms  being  appropriated  to  a sub-kitchen — 
and  this  up-stairs  kitchen  be  made  a dining-room  and  the  omnium 
gatherum , or  common  rendezvous  of  the  whole  family,  and  con- 
nected with  the  bedroom — probably  the  best  arrangement,  and 
incomparably  superior,  in  every  possible  respect,  to  the  general 
arrangement  of  our  kitchen  and  adjoining  rooms.  I may  overrate 
this  plan,  yet  will  it  not  render  a family  much  more  comfortable 
than  any  yet  devised,  besides  enabling  women  to  do  their  work 
with  double  dispatch  and  comfort  % It  also  joins  the  sauce  cellar 
and  well  with  the  work  kitchen — a very  handy  arrangement. 


THE  THIRD  STORY  OF  THE  OCTAGON. 


101 


But  see  wiiat  we  have  saved  by  the  octagon  plan.  We  build 
our  kitchen  as  well  as  woodhouse  while  laying  our  house 

FOUNDATION,  and  thus  SAVE  ALL  OUR  KITCHEN  AND  WOODHOUSE 

materials,  labor,  foundation,  and  roof  ! or  somewhere  near 
one-fourth  the  net  total  cost  of  the  whole  house ; not,  be  it  ob- 
served, by  our  gravel- wall  plan,  but  by  our  octagon  shape.  All 
this  in  addition  to  all  the  items  already  shown  to  be  saved  by 
the  length  and  superiority  of  wall,  cheapness,  permanence,  etc. 

40.  the  third  story  of  the  octagon. 

To  return  to  our  sixteen-feet  octagon,  Fig.  13.  Stepping  on  to 
our  stairs,  which  start  close  by  the  door  which  connects  the  sit- 

Fig.  18. 


ting-room  with  the  stairway,  we  will  go  up  two  or  three  stairs, 


102 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


toward  the  acute  angle  B,  in  Fig.  14,  and  after  rising  two  or 
three  steps,  as  our  space  will  allow,  we  will  turn  on  a broad  stair, 
and  go  up  that  central  partition,  rising  high  enough  to  clear  the 
cellar  door,  and,  perhaps,  turning  again  before  reaching  the  top, 
let  us  see  how  this  suite  of  rooms  can  be  divided. 

We  will  start  our  stairs  so  as  to  land  at  B on  a broad  stair,  and 
turn  to  the  right  into  a delightful  room  rendered  octagonal  by 
making  a closet  in  each  corner,  thus  corresponding  with  the  shape 
of  the  house,  sixteen  feet  square,  with  one  window  and  two  light 
bedrooms  with  closets.  Now  this  square  parlor,  opening  into 
two  bedrooms,  is  a very  rare  convenience,  such  as  our  best  houses 
rarely  furnish,  and  for  which,  at  our  boarding  and  public  houses, 
whoever  has  them  must  pay  dear.  This  is  a real  and  rare 
luxury. 

A friend,  wife,  and  children,  or  a small  family  of  boarders, 
wish  to  have  a common  parlor  with  an  adjoining  bedroom  for 
themselves,  and  another  for  their  children,  or  some  near  friend : 
this  plan  gives  just  the  thing  required.  In  your  square  house 
they  can  find  no  such  accommodation,  but  only  two  connecting 
rooms — nor  are  these  plenty,  and  hence  they  must  either  have  a 
bed  in  their  sitting-room,  or  their  children  must  lodge  across  a 
cold  entry  and  out  of  hearing.  Or  the  heads  of  the  family  may 
wish  this  for  their  private  room,  they  sleeping  in  one  room,  and 
their  children  in  another. 

Yet  for  them,  probably,  the  other  side  of  the  partition  would 
be  best,  as  it  is  largest;  and,  besides  having  one  large  and  two 
small  bedrooms — enough  room  to  lodge  a good  many — in  addi- 
tion to  a spacious  parlor,  see  what  a snug  library,  L,  or  cabinet 
of  shells,  opens  into  it,  lighted  and  triangular,  so  that,  for  its  size, 
it  furnishes  much  more  shelf-room  than  if  square.  Or  some  other 
use  can  be  made  of  it,  as  utility  or  fancy  may  dictate.  At  all 
events,  it  is  a “cunning  little  room,”  admirably  suited  and  situ- 
ated to  a variety  of  appropriations.  It  would  also  make  a fine 
bathing- room.  Now  is  not  this  a delightful  and  most  superb  suite 
of  rooms,  unequaled  in  any  of  our  best  houses  ? 

Mark,  here,  the  appropriation  of  the  whole  of  the  1,218  square 
feet,  except  the  fifty  square  feet  occupied  by  your  ten-feet  half 
square ; and  in  place  of  wasting  8 x 36  = 288  square  feet  in  a room- 


THE  THIRD  STORY  OF  THE  OCTAGON. 


103 


separating  entry,  observe,  also,  that  the  access  from  each  room 
to  and  from  the  stairway,  both  above  and  below,  characterizes  this 
plan,  the  great  utility  of  which  was  shown  in  the  lower  story.19 
The  same  principle  of  saving  the  heat,  by  its  radiating  into  adjoin- 
ing rooms,  instead  of  being  carried  off  by  a bellows  entry,  also 
characterizes  this  suite  of  rooms.  Nor  can  the  wind  get  in,  except 
at  the  windows.  From  the  entry  it  is  excluded  by  the  door  at 
the  top  of  the  cellar  stairs ; and  the  escaping  heat  from  the  story 
below,  furnace,  etc.,  will  render  the  entry  quite  warm  enough,  in 
the  coldest  of  weather,  so  that  heat,  instead  of  cold,  will  come  in 
at  the  entry  doors. 

The  fire  will  be  at  F,  opposite  the  window,  so  that,  as  you  sit 
with  your  feet  to  the  fire,  your  back  will  be  to  the  window,  which 
is  just  the  thing  for  reading.  And  one  large  window  lights  a room 
far  better  than  two  or  three  cross  lights,  which  confuse  and  injure 
the  eye,  shine  through  a newspaper  and  blur  it  from  one  window, 
as  you  hold  it  up  to  read  by  another,  and  are  every  way  objec- 
tionable, as  all  opticians  assert,  and  the  laws  of  optics  prove. 

This  beautiful  feature  of  this  plan  is  so  vitally  important  as  to 
deserve  illustration.  We  generally  wish  to  sit  with  our  feet  to 
the  fire,  and  comfort,  in  a cold  day,  requires  that  the  wind  come 
upon  our  backs,  instead  of  sides,  else  we  are  in  danger  of  freezing 
one  side  while  we  scorch  the  other.  Wind  at  our  backs  is  warded 
off.  Not  so  when  it  strikes  at  our  sides.  Now  sit  down  with 
your  feet  to  the  fire  of  either  of  those  square  rooms  of  the  old- 
fashioned  house.  You  have  an  entry  door  at  your  back,  two 
windows  on  one  side,  and  one  in  front,  pouring  a stream  of  cold 
air  on  all  sides.  You  may  ward  it  off  by  turning  half  around, 
but  then  you  are  half  from  the  fire,  which  is  a position  as  un- 
natural as  uncomfortable. 

Sitting  before  the  fire,  you  wish  to  read  a paper.  You  have 
no  light  at  your  back,  and  must  either  twist  yourself  into  a double 
bow  knot,  or  else  forego  a front  posture  to  the  fire.  You  turn 
some  and  raise  your  paper,  when  the  light  from  the  window 
between  the  chimney  and  the  corner  shines  through  and  blurs 
your  paper,  so  that  you  can  not  distinguish  a single  word.  This 
compels  you  to  turn  from  the  fire,  and  try  again,  and  again  you 
are  disconcerted  by  three  cross  lights — one  at  one  side,  one  at  the 


104 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


other,  and  the  third  behind ; and  these  causes  of  discomfort  are 
perpetual,  because  incorporated  into  the  very  structure  of  your 
house.  Both  these  evils  this  plan  obviates.  It  receives  light  and 
wind  at  your  back,  just  where  you  require  them,  relatively  to 
your  fire,  prevents  all  cross  lights,  and  is  just  the  very  thing  for 
a comfortable  read  or  chat.  Your  smoke  ascends  through  brick 
or  earthen  pipes  in  those  triangles  formed  by  the  stairway  par- 
titions, of  which  hereafter.  This  plan  also  enables  you  to  have 
fewer  windows ; yet  these  can  be  large  enough  to  light  all  your 
rooms  effectually — which  is  the  cheaper  for  the  same  surface  of 
glass — as  well  as  write  at  a desk  without  cross  lights,  or  the  sun 
shining  in  from  several  places,  and  is  exactly  what  should  be. 

The  dimensions  of  the  rooms  in  the  sixteen-feet  octagon,  on  this 
story,  are  as  follows : 


A square  room,  16  X 16  = 256  sq.  ft. 

Two  adjacent  bedrooms,  each  11x11  = 242  “ 

A large  parlor,  13x22  = 286  “ 

A connecting  spare  room,  10  X 16  = 160  “ 

“ bedroom,  12x10=120  “ 

“ “ 10§  x8  = 85  “ 


= 28  sq.  yds. 

= 13  “ each. 

= 31  “ 

= 19  “ 

= 14i  “ 

= 9 “ 


L,  a half  square,  4x8=  32 

Stairway,  half  of  a square,  10  X 10  = 50 


Total,  1,231 

This  is  13  square  feet  more  than  our  1,218  square  feet,  but  the 
excess  is  made  up  by  fractions  of  feet  not  counted,  and  comes  so 
near  as  to  prove  the  general  correctness  of  both  estimates. 

To  ascend  by  those  winding  stairs  drawn  in  the  staircase  so  as 
to  land,  as  before,  on  a broad  stair  opening  into  the  attic  suite  of 
rooms,  partitioned  in  the  same  manner,  or  in  any  other  desired. 

But  instead  of  going  only  four  feet  before  we  put  on  the  roof, 
let  us  go  six  or  seven,  since  it  will  not  cost  many  dollars  extra  to 
do  so,  and  will  give  us  as  fine  a suite  of  rooms  on  the  fourth  story 
as  need  be  desired. 

Than  such  a house,  what  earthly  habitation  could  be  more  beau- 
tiful, more  imposing,  more  convenient,  or  more  comfortable 


* Those  who  preach  that  we  should  hate  this  life  and  its  blessings  in 
order  to  prepare  for  another,  would,  of  course,  object  to  so  enchanting  a 
mansion,  it  making  us  love  the  world  so  well  as  to  be  loth  to  leave  it. 


THE  ROOM  IN  A SIXTEEN-EEET  OCTAGON. 


105 


Let  us  next  estimate  the  room  in  this  sixteen-feet-sided  octagon, 
both  absolute,  and  as  compared  with  that  of  a thirty-two  feet 
square  house  (Fig.  16,  40  x 42),  with  a rear  kitchen  and  wood- 
house  to  boot. 

SIXTEEN-FEET  OCTAGON  BASEMENT. 

Sub -kitchen 270  sq.  ft. 

Store-room  and  cistern  .....  250  “ 

Cellar  . 120  “ 

Milkroom  . 100  “ 

Woodhouse 120  “ 

860 

Entry  ....  ...  350  “ 

Total  in  basement  ....  1,210 

UNDER  THE  PORTICO. 

Icehouse  .......  128  sq.  ft. 

Wood  rank  ...  ...  128  “ 

Lumber 128  “ 

Green-house  .......  256  “ 

Tubs,  tools,  etc., 160  “ 

800 

Total  of  basement  and  portico 1,660 


MAIN  OR  SECOND  STORY 


Parlor 

. 300 

sq.  ft. 

Sitting-room  . 

. 300 

U 

Kitchen  and  pantry 

. 294 

<< 

Back  parlor  and  closets 

. 196 

c< 

1,090 

Add  entry  and  stairway 

THIRD  STORY. 

. 121 
1,211 

<< 

Square  room 

. 256 

<< 

Triangular  bedroom  and 

closets 

. 127 

cc 

“ “ 

(C 

. 127 

c< 

Long  “ 

(C 

. 187 

Triangular  bedroom  . 

. 

. 126 

(( 

Large  parlor,  L,  etc. 

. 

. 340 

(( 

1,163 

Add  stairway 

. 

. 60 

<< 

5* 


1,223 


106 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


Total  brought  forward 

FOURTH  STORY. 

. 3,913 

The  same  . 

ATTIC  STORY. 

. 1,163 

Outside  bens 

. 652 

<< 

Play  room 

650 

CC 

1,202 

Stairway  5x3 

. 15 
1,217 

Grand  total  . . 6,278 

Let  us  next  estimate  the  room  in  a thirty-two  feet  square 
house. 

Total  room 32  X 32  = 1,024 

Deduct  entry  . . . 7x20 — and  two  chimneys  176 

Net  room  left  848 


Its  three  stories  and  attic =848  x 4,  and  a 20  x 20  feet  cel- 
lar = grand  total  net  room  3,392. 

The  octagon  and  square,  then,  compare  thus : 


^8^1q-523-10-52-O-26 

3392  282  ' 28  ‘ 14 


1- 

14  = — 

1 ’ 


which  equals  six-sevenths,  or  almost  double  the  room  in  the 
octagon  over  the  square — a part  by  its  shape,  a part  by  its  entries, 
and  the  balance  by  the  use  of  the  whole  basement,  instead  of  a 
part,  as  is  usual.  Yet  we  reckon  the  whole  of  the  garret  room 
in  the  square  house,  whereas  only  a small  part  of  it  is  usually  con- 
verted to  any  valuable  use.  We  reckon  both  garret  and  cellar 
in  our  octagon,  to  show  how  unwise  to  throw  away  room  which 
can  be  converted  to  ends  thus  valuable. 

Estimate  of  the  net  room  in  a house  36  by  44,  and  kitchen. 
Each  room  18 x 18  = 324,  less  24  square  feet  for  chimney,  and 
fourteen  lost  between  the  chimney  and  corners,  as  already  ex- 
plained, =286. 

The  four  rooms  on  each  story,  and  four  stories, 

16  X 286  = 4,476 

Kitchen,  20x16, 320 

Cellar,  20  X 20,  400 

Woodhouse,  16x8,  128 

6,324 


COMPARISON  OF  HOUSES. 


107 


Fig.  19. 


9x12 

9x12 

BED 

BED 

SPARE  ft. 

J 6 X 

18 

ENTH  Y 10  k 21 


PARLOR 

2JrX  22 


2 2>x22 


A/l 

JfxJO 


A 

Jo  x16 


ENTRY 


WASH  R. 

20  X 12 


WINGED  HOIT8E,  32  BY  42. 

Less,  by  954  square  feet,  than  our  sixteen-feet  octagon  con- 


108 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


tains.  Yet  there  remains  a ten  by  twelve  garret  room  over 
the  kitchen,  but  this  will  require  a deduction  for  stairs  off  of  the 
kitchen. 

But  suppose  the  builder  to  be  a man  of  means,  and  to  want  a 
large  and  superb  double  house,  with  a great  abundance  of  room, 
and  every  convenience.  He  builds  an  upright  with  wings. 
Upright,  32  X 2 + 42  X 2 = 148  cir.,  and  three  stories,  148  X 3 = 444 
Wings,  each  27  feet  long,  X 2 = 54  X 2 = 108  x 2 stories,  = . 216 

Woodhouse,  27  X 2 = 54  X 2 stories,  = 108 

768 


41.  howland’s  plan  of  an  octagon  cottage. 

The  following  drawings  and  specimens  rendered  by  oar  en- 
graver, Mr.  Howland,  both  furnish  an  additional  arrangement  of 
rooms,  and  may  suggest  others  still  to  the  readers. 

The  accompanying  engravings  represent  the  plan  of  an  octagon 
cottage,  designed  by  Messrs.  Morgan  and  Brothers,  architects, 
Williamsburg,  New  York,  for  Mr.  William  Howland  (our  en 
graver),  and  which  has  been  much  admired  by  builders  for  its 
neatness,  simplicity,  convenient  arrangement,  and  cheapness. 
Gentlemen  in  the  vicinity  of  this  city  are  about  budding  after  the 
plan  here  specified,  and,  for  the  information  of  such  others  as  may 
wish  it,  we  give  below  the  specifications  of  the  materials — the 
wood- work  and  the  masonry",  together  with  the  estimated  cost  of 
completing  the  same.  The  thing  most  likely  to  stumble  the 
reader,  in  inspecting  this  beautiful  design,  is,  that  so  neat  and 
well-finished  a cottage  can,  out  of  good  materials,  be  constructed 
so  cheap.  But  by  attending  particularly  to  the  economical 
method  of  inclosing , as  well  as  the  form  of  the  building,  he  will 
readily  see  how  it  may  be  done.* 

* The  octagon  house  of  this  size  gives  137  more  square  feet  on  each  floor 
than  a square  house  of  the  same  outside  measurement;  or,  in  other  words, 
a square  house  to  give  as  much  room  on  a floor  must  measure  110£  feet 
more  around  than  the  octagon. 

Octagon,  12  feet  6 inches  each  side,  measures  around  100  feet,  and  gives 


on  each  floor square  feet  762  - 

Square,  25  X 25,  measures  100  feet,  and  gives  . “ 625 

Gain  ip  favor  of  octagon  of  . 137 


howland’s  octagonal  plan. 


109 


carpenter’s  specification 

Of  the  materials  and  workmanship  required  to  erect  and  finish  a 
two-story  dwelling  for  Mr.  John  J.  Brown,  at  East  Williams- 
burg, Long  Island. 

Dimensions. — Thirty  feet  from  the  outside  line  of  the  building 
to  the  opposite  outside  line  of  each  side. 

Cellar 7 ft.  0 in. 

First  story . 9 “ 6 “ 

Second  story 8 “ 0 “ 

Breast . . 2 “ 0 “ 

All  in  the  clear  when  finished. 

Size  of  timber-sills,  4 by  6 inches ; four  inter-ties,  4 by  6 inches, 
30  feet  long ; those  to  first  story  to  have  three  locust  posts  each 
under  them.  First  tier  of  beams  3 by  9 inches  ; second  tier,  3 
by  8 inches ; all  placed  two  feet  from  centers,  with  one  row  of 
herring  bone  bridging  to  each  tier.  Hip-rafters,  4 by  7 inches ; 
jack-rafters,  3 by  7 inches,  two  feet  from  centers ; purlin-plates, 
4 by  10  inches ; studs,  for  the  two  parti tion-walls  running  through 
the  building,  3 by  4 inches;  joist,  16  inches  from  centers;  the 
other  studding  of  wall-strip  16  inches  from  centers ; the  doors 
double  studded.  Do  all  necessary  furring  for  mason’s  work,  and 
dove-tail  every  fifth  beam  on  each  floor  into  the  outside  wall,  and 
anchor  them  together  in  the  center.  All  the  timber  to  be  of  white 
pine  or  spruce.  The  ceiling  of  second  story  to  be  furred  level. 

Inclosing. — All  the  outside  walls  or  inclosing  to  be  of  pickets 
or  strips  of  common  or  refuse  stuff,  about  four  inches  wide,  to  be 
constructed  as  follows : After  the  sills  are  placed  in  their  proper 
places  and  leveled,  a course  of  pickets  to  be  nailed  on  to  the  sills, 
about  half  an  inch  back  from  the  outside  line  of  the  sill,  then 
another  course  on  top  of  that ; breaking  joints  with  the  first  course 
and  on  a line  with  the  outside  face  of  the  sill  (that  is,  projecting 

On  each  floor,  or  411  in  cellar,  first,  and  second  stories,  being  more  than 
one-fifth.  As  the  whole  height  of  the  wall,  from  bottom  of  the  foundation, 
is  80  feet,  the  amount  of  outside  wall  in  the  square,  that  gives  763  feet  a 


floor,  is feet  3,315 

While  the  octagon,  that  gives  762  feet  a floor,  is  “ 3,000 


Gain  in  favor  of  octagon 


315 


110 


SUPERIORITY  OF  TIIE  OCTAGON  FORM, 


THE  OCTAGON  COTTAGE. 


HOWLAND  S OCTAGONAL  PLAN. 


Ill 


half  an  inch  over  the  first  course)  ; the  third  course  the  same  as 
the  first,  and  so  on  to  the  top,  each  course  projecting  over  or  re- 
ceding from  the  one  next  below. 

Roof  to  project,  and  supported  by  brackets,  as  shown  on  ele- 
vation, covered  with  box  boards  laid  close,  joints  broken ; covered 
with  single-cross  tin,  soldered  and  painted,  two  coats.  A small 


Fig.  21. 


strip  of  plank  is  to  be  fixed  near  the  outer  edge  of  the  roof,  to 
form  a hollow,  lined  with  tin  for  a gutter,  with  all  necessary  three- 
inch  tin  leaders  to  convey  the  water  to  the  cisterns. 

Scuttle. — Fit  and  hang  scuttle  two  and  a half  by. four  feet, 
secured  with  chain  and  hook. 

Window  Frames,  Sashes,  etc. — For  number  of  frames  see 
plan  ; and  size  of  glass  left  optional  with  the  owner.  All  box 


112 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


frames,  sashes,  one  and  a half  inches  thick,  double-hung  with 
weights,  cords,  and  pulleys.  The  first  story  to  have  patent  brass 
fastenings ; windows  glazed  with  a good  quality  of  American 
glass.  Four  windows  in  the  cellar,  three  lights  in  each,  10  by 
14  inch  glass;  sashes  hung  with  butts  and  secured  with  buttons. 
Outside  hall  door  glazed  the  same  as  windows. 

Fig.  22. 


Fig.  23. 

V X XX  XXX. 

b=j:-i  i i i i i i 1 - ■ 1 ■■.■■■  ' i ..-i  =1 

SCALE  OF  FEET. 

Piazza  in  front  as  per  elevation.  Back  stoop  as  per  plan. 

Cornice  all  around  the  house,  with  brackets  as  per  elevation, 
with  an  observatory  on  top.  That  portion  of  the  roof  required 
for  the  floor  of  the  observatory  made  nearly  level. 

Floors  of  first  and  second  stories  laid  with  merchantable  mill 
worked  white  pine  plank,  free  from  large  or  loose  knots,  sap,  or 
splits,  tongued  and  grooved  ; laid  in  courses,  well  nailed,  and 
heading  joints  neatly  smoothed  off. 

Trimming. — All  the  doors  and  windows  trimmed  with  single 
faced  architrave,  with  back  mould,  in  all  five  and  a half  inches  wide 


howland’s  octagonal  plan. 


113 


The  windows  trimmed  on  neat  sills ; and  on  the  outside  with 
four-inch  plane  architrave ; with  block  under  the  sills  as  per 
elevation. 

Sink  in  living-room  of  suitable  size,  made  perfectly  tight,  and 
doors  and  shelves  underneath,  and  waste  to  cesspool.  The  pan- 
tries  shelved  with  four  tiers  of  shelves  each.  Tour  dozen  clothes- 
hooks  put  up  in  the  bedrooms  and  closets,  as  the  owner  may 
direct.  Put  hard  wood  saddles  to  all  doors,  and  base  block  or 
turned  pins  where  necessary  behind  the  doors. 

Doors. — Outside  doors  two  inches  thick,  four  panels  each ; 
double  faced,  with  glass  in  the  upper  panels ; the  lower  panels 
with  mouldings.  All  the  other  doors,  except  those  of  the  pantries, 
one  and  a quarter  inches  thick,  double-faced,  four-paneled  with 
mouldings.  The  pantry  doors  single-faced,  to  correspond  with 
the  room  doors,  the  other  side  bead  and  butt.  The  front  door 
hung  with  three  three-and-a-half-inch  butts,  and  secured  with  two 
barrel-bolts  and  a suitable  sized  front-door  lock,  with  night-latch 
and  two  keys;  the  back  door  hung  with  three-and-a-half-inch 
butts,  and  secured  by  a seven-inch  rim-lock  and  two  barrel-bolts. 
The  first  story  inside  doors  hung  with  three-and-a-half-inch  butts, 
and  secured  with  five-inch  mortice-locks,  except  the  pantry  and 
closet  doors,  which  are  to  have  reversed  beveled-locks.  Second 
story  doors  hung  with  three-inch  butts,  and  secured  by  suitable 
sized  rim-locks.  White  mineral-knobs  on  first  story,  and  dark 
colored  on  second  story.  Outside  and  inside  cellar  doors  made 
in  the  usual  manner,  hung  with  large-sized  strap-hinges,  and  se- 
cured with  bar-hooks,  etc.,  complete. 

Mantles. — Neat  marble-pattern  mantles  to  all  the  fireplaces, 
painted  such  color  as  directed. 

Base  in  all  of  first  story  nine  inches  high,  with  ovilo  moulding 
on  top.  Beveled  base  in  second  story  seven  inches  high,  all 
scribed  down  and  well  fitted  to  the  floor. 

Stairs  leading  from  first  story  to  second,  as  per  plan,  put  up 
on  strong  carriages,  moulded  and  returned  nosings ; three-inch 
moulded  rail;  one-and-three-quarter-inch  fancy  turned  balusters; 
six-inch  newel-level  rail  and  balusters  at  the  top ; the  newel-rail 
and  balusters  of  St.  Domingo  mahogany,  rubbed  smooth  and  var- 
nished three  coats.  Geometrical  panel  under  stairs  ; strong  stairs 


114: 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


to  cellar  and  scuttle  in  the  usual  way.  Cellar  stairs  ceiled  up 
tight  with  paneled  doors  underneath. 

Privy,  4 by  6 feet  of  mill-worked  white  pine,  tongued  and 
grooved  boards ; the  inside  prepared  for  plastering  ; four-paneled 
door  made,  hung,  and  secured  in  the  usual  way,  one  window,  6 
by  10  inch  glass,  six  lights,  hung  with  butts  and  secured  with 
button. 

Painting. — Paint  all  the  wood-work,  both  inside  and  outside, 
with  two  coats  of  linseed  oil  and  pure  white-lead  paint  of  such 
color  as  the  owner  may  direct. 

mason’s  specifications. 

Excavating. — Excavate  and  cart  away  all  the  earth  for  areas, 
cesspool,  sink,  cistern,  etc.,  and  level  around  the  house  as  direct- 
ed. Cart  away  all  the  rubbish  that  may  be  made  during  the 
progress  and  at  the  completion  of  the  job. 

Stone-wall. — Start  cellar  wall  two  feet  below  the  bottom  of 
cellar,  and  carry  the  same  to  the  under  side  of  the  first  tier  of 
beams,  with  blue  building-stone  eighteen  inches  thick,  laid  in 
courses  in  good  lime-and-sand  mortar.  The  inside  faced  the  whole 
height,  and  faced  outside  above  the  ground,  and  neatly  pointed. 
Blue  stone  steps  to  cellar  in  the  usual  way. 

Brick-work. — Build  chimneys  as  per  plan,  with  fire-places  ; 
marble  facing  and  hearths,  complete.  Large  crane  in  kitchen  fire- 
place. Chimneys  topped  out  five  feet  six  inches  above  the  roof 
with  hard  brick  and  brown  stone  cap,  as  per  elevation. 

Plastering. — Lath  the  partitions,  and  plaster  the  whole  of  the 
first  and  second  stories  with  scratch-coat  and  brown-coat  down  to 
the  floor ; the  first  story  hard  finished ; the  second  skimmed  for 
whitewashing.  The  outside  walls  will  not  need  lathing.  Privy 
lathed  and  plastered  same  as  second  story. 

Cistern. — Build  cistern  in  yard  six  feet  in  diameter  and  eight 
feet  deep,  of  hard  brick,  eight  inches  thick,  laid  in  cement  and 
cemented  tight;  arched  on  top  with  blue  stone  neck,  and  covered 
with  waste  to  cesspool. 

Cesspool  in  yard,  eight  feet  deep,  three  feet  diameter  at  the 
bottom,  and  one  foot  six  inches  at  top,  stoned  up  with  broken 
stone,  and  covered  with  perforated  flagging. 


howland’s  octagonal  plan.  115 

Sink. — Build  sink  four  feet  diameter,  stoned  up  with  broken 
stone,  and  squared  up  with  three  courses  of  brick  at  the  top. 

The  outside  of  building  to  be  stuccoed  in  the  best  manner — 
blocked  into  courses  and  colored  in  imitation  of  stone  work. 

Now  the  whole  cost  of  such  a house,  as  is  here  specified,  will 
not  exceed  eleven  hundred  dollars.  Much  more  than  this  sum  may 
be  expended,  it  is  true,  if  the  owner  is  so  disposed,  and  some 
builders  have  estimated  that  it  might  be  done  for  less. 

[Another  plan  of  constructing  walls  of  wood,  and  which  we 
think  cheaper  and  better,  is  to  get  three-inch  hemlock  plank,  and 
set  them  edge-wise  one  upon  another,  and  putting  the  edges  to- 
gether by  dowel-pins,  made  of  white  ash  or  oak,  an  inch  in  diam- 
eter and  about  eight  inches  long.  The  corners  are  framed  togeth- 
er and  pinned  with  draw-bore.  Tear  in  pieces  a tea-chest  and 
you  have  the  plan  of  this  mode  of  building.  These  planks  may 
be  of  any  width  from  six  to  eighteen  or  twenty-four  inches.  It 
certainly  takes  good  logs  to  saw  picket  or  narrow  stuff  from,  and 
have  it  hold  together  to  get  it  to  market.  The  use  of  refuse  stuff 
is  poor  economy.  If  this  were  sawed  into  plank,  three-fourths  of 
the  sawing  would  be  saved,  and  one -fifth  of  the  stuff  would  also 
be  saved,  which  is  cut  into  sawdust  by  the  process  of  cutting  the 
planks  into  inch  boards.  Besides  three  inches  of  solid  timber,  in 
the  form  of  a plank,  is  stiflfer  than  a wall  of  slats  four  inches  wide 
nailed  together. 

Again,  what  is  the  use  of  sawing  solid  planks  into  strips,  and 
then  using  nails  and  labor  to  fasten  them  together  again,  with  a 
loss  of  one-fifth  of  the  timber  in  sawdust?  A plank  house  can 
be  lathed,  and  plastered,  and  finished  for  less  than  it  costs  to  finish 
the  slat-work  wall,  as  it  takes  a greater  quantity  of  mortar  to  level 
up  and  fill  the  crevices  in  the  slat- work.  The  writer  has  tried 
both  methods  of  building,  and  knows  that  the  plank-wall  takes 
less  lumber,  can  be  put  up  faster,  and  does  not  cost  a single  naily 
except  to  lath.  The  outside  can  be  covered  with  clapboards  or 
stucco  on  lath,  to  suit  the  taste.] 


116 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


42.  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  AUTHOR’S  RESIDENCE. 

Allusion  has  already  been  made  to  the  residence  of  the  author. 
For  two  reasons  it  seems  proper  to  give  its  description  a place 
in  these  pages — first,  because  those  studies  which  have  eventu- 
ated in  this  work  were  instituted  primarily  to  erect  this  very 
house ; and,  secondly,  because  an  account  of  it  will  call  up  many 
points  about  building,  uses  of  rooms,  etc.,  which  can  be  presented 
in  this  form  better  than  in  any  other.  It  is,  moreover,  intrinsic- 
ally worthy  such  a place. 

To  begin  with  the  lower,  or  cellar  story.  My  house  is  located 
on  an  oval  knoll,  digging  off  the  top  of  which  furnished  me  with 
nearly  all  the  stones,  large  and  small,  used  in  putting  up  its  walls. 
All  my  cellar,  therefore,  is  above  ground , except  two  holes,  C L 
and  M,  alongside  of  my  ice-house. 

My  ice-house  consists  of  two  stories — the  upper  one  for  ice, 
the  lower,  a room  kept  cool  by  the  ice  and  its  drippings,  a pre- 
servatory  for  keeping  fruit,  butter,  eggs,  fresh  meat,  fish,  bacon, 
pies,  etc.  I took  a perfectly  sound  and  hard  apple  from  it  in 
August,  stored  the  fall  before,  and  kept  it  till  December  in  a 
warm,  bad  place,  yet  it  retained  its  flavor  perfectly.  They  have 
been  kept  two  years,  and  grapes  one.  The  melting  ice  keeps  this 
room  at  a temperature  just  above  the  freezing  point,  and  sur- 
rounded by  stifled  and  cold  air,  so  that  its  preserving  powers  are 
remarkable.  Its  structure  is  simple,  and  as  follows : 

Erect  studs  as  for  a wall.  Lath  and  plaster  both  sides , and 
finish  the  outside  as  you  do  your  house.  This  furnishes  a place- 
for  dead  air — the  best  non-conductor  in  the  world — superior,  says 
Professor  Silliman,  to  tan-bark,  or  even  charcoal.  In  the  plaster- 
ing use  a little  cement.  Then  erect  another  set  of  studs,  first 
having  nailed  on  your  lath  before  they  are  raised ; then  raise  and 
fasten  them,  and  plaster  from  the  inside , or  between  the  studs ; this 
gives  two  confined  air-chambers.  Then  lath  on  the  inside  of  these 
studs,  and  plaster,  and  you  have  three  air-chambers  all  around 
your  ice-house  and  preservatory  for  both  stories.  Next  lay  your 
floor  for  the  bottom  of  your  ice-house  and  top  of  your  preserva- 
tory, and  make  it  water-tight , by  caulking,  or  plastering  with  ce- 
ment, or  in  some  other  way  ; and  having  this  floor  descend  a few 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  AUTHOR’S  RESIDENCE. 


117 


inches  from  the  middle  each  way,  so  as  to  carry  off  the  water,  and 

Fig.  24. 


6*20 


HALL. 


6 x 80 


PLAT. 

6X22 

BASEMENT  STORY  OF  TOE  OCTAGON  HOUSE. 


resting  this  floor  on  rows  of  studs  below,  which  serve  both  to 
support  the  ice  and  fasten  shelves  to,  and  to  the  outside  row  of 


118 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


studs  lath  and  plaster  with  cement,  so  that  the  ice  drippings  may 
run  off  behind  this  inner  wall  of  the  preservatory,  or  between  it 
and  the  two  rows  of  studs  above  described.  Your  preservatory 
is  now  perfectly  dry,  and  of  one  temperature  the  year  round.  Its 
bottom  should  also  be  double,  so  as  to  be  dry,  yet  let  water  pass 
under  it.  In  mine  the  ice  water  is  gathered  at  the  door,  under 
which  it  runs  through  a lead  pipe,  bent  upward  like  a new  moon, 
which  allows  water  to  pass  out , but  prevents  air  from  passing  in. 
It  passes  into  this  cellar  C L,  and  my  milk  closet  M,  which  also 
has  two  stories,  the  lower  for  preserves  and  what  else  we  want  to 
keep,  yet  do  not  think  worth  the  trouble  of  going  into  the  pre- 
servatory, and  the  top  for  milk,  having  two  floors,  which  admits 
the  cold  air  up  into  the  milk-room,  yet  prevents  dirt  from  de- 
scending, by  the  lower  one  catching  it. 

All  required  to  make  this  floor  is,  having  laid  your  floor  tim- 
bers, nail  a floor  to  their  under  side,  leaving  a space  an  inch  or  two 
wide  at  one  side,  and  a shelf  over  this  crack  will  prevent  much 
dirt  from  getting  down,  and  then  nailing  another  floor  to  the  top 
of  these  timbers,  having  another  opening  on  the  other  side  of  the 
floor. 

M for  milk ; the  cold  air  passing  up  from  the  bottom  story, 
into  which  the  water  runs  from  under  the  preservatory,  both  hav- 
ing shelves.  A like  arrangement  at  C L gives  two  large  cellars, 
one  above  the  other,  on  a like  principle. 

The  ep trance  to  my  preservatory  is  with  two  stairways  leading 
to  it,  one  from  the  side  toward  the  kitchen,  for  the  cook,  and  the 
other  larger,  for  the  gardener  to  take  down  barrels  of  beef,  fruits, 
and  the  larger  articles.  Thus  all  the  cold  of  my  ice  is  saved,  and 
cools  five  rooms,  the  preservatory  and  the  other  two  double-storied 
rooms  contiguous.  Even  the  cold  which  escapes  in  opening  the 
preservatory  door  passes  into  these  rooms,  besides  cooling  the 
room  marked  A P,  for  apples,  potatoes,  etc.,  and  that  marked  K 
S,  for  kitchen  stores,  both  of  which  are  fitted  up  with  shelves. 
Now  I submit  whether  here  is  not  a plan  worthy  of  imitation 
(unless  it  can  be  improved  on)  in  any  house  whose  owner  can 
afford  an  extra  $100,  the  utmost  it  need  cost.  And  how  soon 
will  it  quit  cost  by  buying  butter,  eggs,  fruit,  etc.,  when  abundant 
and  cheap,  and  keeping  them  as  good  as  new  till  scarce  and  high, 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  AUTHORS  RESIDENCE. 


119 


and  then  selling,  to  say  nothing  of  the  luxury  of  having  fruit, 
grapes,  and  perfectly  sweet  May  butter  the  year  round,  for  they 
experience  no  sensible  deterioration  in  flavor.  I also  keep  in  it 
the  juice  of  my  fruits,  which  does  not  ferment,  or  at  least  scarcely 
perceptibly,  and  is  therefore  new  wine,  all  but  the  intoxicating 
part,  caused  by  fermentation.  My  dietetic  doctrine  is  that  man 
should  live  mainly  on  unbolted  wheat  bread  and  fruit,  or  its  juice, 
eaten  as  we  eat  bread  and  milk,  and  that  this  fruit  juice  should 
take  the  place  of  water.  At  all  events,  it  is  the  daintiest  of  lux- 
uries. Thus,  the  newly-compressed  juice  of  the  black  raspberry 
is  most  delicious,  and  in  this  preservatory  retains  its  delicious 
flavor,  which  fermentation  would  destroy.  It  is  kept  here  for 
months,  as  is  also  that  of  other  fruits — the  strawberry,  cherry, 
peach,  etc.  On  no  account  would  I do  without  the  luxury  of  this 
preservatory. 

In  the  closet  C one  angle  S carries  up  a stove-pipe  hole,  made 
out  of  that  very  material  described  for  making  the  wall,  and  draw- 
ing up,  as  you  filled  up,  a round  stick  the  size  of  the  flue  desired — 
a cheap  way  of  making  chimneys,  and  as  good  as  the  very  best. 
A wash-boiler  is  stationed  in  the  adjoining  room,  W R,  having  a 
cistern,  Cl,  10  by  10 — it  can  easily  be  made  larger  or  smaller — * 
which  receives  the  surplus  water  from  the  cisterns  above,  and  the 
roof  having  at  one  corner  three  straight  walls,  one  of  which  ex- 
tends from  bottom  to  top  of  the  cistern,  made  of  this  same  wall 
material,  or  of  brick,  and  cemented  both  sides,  having  holes  at  the 
bottom.  The  other  two  are  a foot  or  eighteen  inches  high,  and  say 
a foot  on  each  side  of  the  other,  also  cemented,  and  the  spaces 
between  them  and  the  high  wall  filled  in  with  charcoal  and  coarse 
gravel,  so  that  the  water  rising  to  this  low  wall  runs  down  through 
this  filtering  charcoal  through  those  holes  at  the  bottom  of  the  high 
wall,  then  up  through  charcoal  and  coarse  gravel  on  the  other  side, 
and  thus  doubly  filtered,  makes  the  very  best  drinking  water  in 
the  world.  Observe,  too,  that  it  joins  on  the  cool  milk  closet  M, 
and  hence  imbibes  considerable  coolness  from  the  ice- water.  If  I 
had  ever  so  good  well  or  spring  of  water,  I should  want  these  cis- 
terns, because  double-filtered  rain-water  is  preferable  to  all  other 
water  for  drinking  and  culinary  purposes.  Observe,  also,  that 
this  water  gets  a double  filtration  in  the  cisterns  above , before 


120 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


entering  this,  or  four  filters  in  all.  And  how  much  more  handy 
to  turn  a faucet  and  draw  water  direct  into  a pail,  than  to  raise  it 
from  the  well,  or  from  a cistern  under- ground,  or  below  where  you 
require  it  for  use.  These  remarks  apjdy  doubly  to  the  cistern  at 
the  other  side  of  the  house,  near  the  kitchen,  K. 

At  the  left  of  this  cistern  is  a dark  cellar,  C,  for  sauce,  or  what- 
ever you  wish  to  keep  from  freezing ; cool  in  summer,  because 
excluded  on  all  sides  from  the  sun,  and  on  the  side  joining  the 
two-story  cellar,  C L,  and  the  cistern  on  another,  and  free  from 
frost  in  winter,  besides  being  easily  aired  by  its  two  doors.  And 
this  airing  of  cellars  is  all  important,  for,  otherwise,  decaying  veg- 
etables infect  and  poison  the  rooms  'above,  by  finding  its  way  up 
through  the  floor.  Still  the  main  body  of  the  farmer’s  vegetables 
should  be  stored  under  his  barn  floor,  so  that  he  can  drive  his  cart 
to  the  hatchway  and  dump  right  into  his  potato,  cabbage,  carrot, 
rutabaga,  beet,  parsnip,  and  other  cellars  or  bins. 

By  the  side  of  this  is  another  room,  L,  which  may  be  used  for 
storing  bedsteads,  lumber,  barrels,  and  such  rubbish  as  garrets 
usually  contain,  tools  included,  with  this  advantage,  that  it  is  handy, 
and  just  where  you  want  it,  whereas  the  garret  is  very  bad  to  get 
to  and  from.  Or  any  other  use  can  be  made  of  it  the  proprietor 
chooses.  Perhaps  the  one  who  locks  up,  answers  the  night-bell, 
etc.,  might  sleep  in  it. 

Between  it  and  the  wash-room,  and  at  the  end  of  the  cistern,  is 
a store-room,  S T,  some  7 by  10,  just  the  place  to  put  family 
stores,  sugar,  molasses,  flour,  pork,  etc.,  also  furnished  with  shelves 
and  some  drawers.  A small  closet  off  the  apple-room,  from 
which  also  starts  another  stack  of  chimneys,  completes  this,  the 
north  half  of  my  house.  How  it  would  suit  the  reader  I care  little, 
since  it  suits  its  planner  and  owner  to  a charm. 

Next  comes  the  entry.  It  is  in  this  very  cellar  story,  where 
every  entry  ought  to  be,  and,  hence,  does  not  separate  the  main 
rooms  above,  yet  gives  every  end  any  entry  secures;  of  which 
more  hereafter. 

It  consists  of  two  parts.  That  line  running  nearly  through  it, 
and  terminating  in  two  octagonal  pillars,  is  the  central  wall  of  the 
house,  running  from  bottom  to  top,  while  the  two  walls  on  each 
side  of  it  are  for  this  story  only,  and  are  eight  inches  thick,  while 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  AUTHOR’S  RESIDENCE. 


121 


the  middle  one  is  a foot,  and  built  like  the  outside  walls.  Tre- 
mendous pressure  comes  on  parts  of  it,  yet  it  stands.  F E is  the 
front  entrance,  where  strangers  will  naturally  apply  for  ingress  to 
the  house;  and  the  room  R R is  for  a common  receiving-room, 
hat-stand,  reading-room,  etc.,  and  that  pillar  in  the  entry  has  an 
elk’s  head  and  horns,  and  some  deer-horns  masoned  into  it,  on 
which  to  hang  hats  and  cloaks.  From  this  entry  callers  are  then 
conducted  up  into  the  center  of  the  story  above,  and  taken  into 
dining-room,  drawing-room,  the  bedrooms  still  above,  or  wherever 
it  is  desirable  for  them  to  go,  in  accordance  with  their  station  and 
business. 

From  the  other  end  of  this  half  of  the  entry  another  flight  of 
stairs  conducts  from  the  kitchen  and  back  entry  up  to  the  same 
landing-place  in  the  stairway  above ; of  which  when  we  come  to 
that  story.  Under  these  two  flights  of  stairs,  and  accessible  by  a 
door  in  this  center  wall,  is  just  the  place  for  coal — and  coal  is  the 
only  proper  material  for  heating  houses — of  which,  however,  in  its 
place.  Adjoining  is  a place  for  the  furnace,  marked  F,  and  man- 
ufacturing gas  out  of  cheap  oil,  soap-fat,  etc.,  which  is  far  cheaper 
than  common  gas,  easily  made,  even  by  a boy,  and  probably  the 
cheapest  and  best  way  to  light  a house.*  Or  the  place  marked 
G,  as  designed  for  gas  fixtures,  can  be  used  for  bathing,  it  being 
next  the  cistern. 

The  other  side  of  the  center  wall  is  a through  entry ; serves 
every  purpose  of  one,  and  is  just  where  you  want  it. 

Passing  through  this  entry  we  enter  the  kitchen,  K,  the  great 
stomach  of  the  house ; having  a well,  from  which  water  is  drawn 
outside,  and  also  into  the  kitchen  itself,  and  the  other  side  of  this 
kitchen  is  watered  from  the  cistern  by  turning  a faucet,  and  a lead 
pipe  from  this  cistern  connects  with  the  range,  R.  Two  pantries, 
C L and  P,  connect  with  this  kitchen  and  one  another,  and  one 
with  the  adjoining  room,  W D,  a workman’s  dining-room.  At 
the  back  end  of  the  closet,  C L,  which  is  5 by  14,  wide  enough 
for  two  rows  of  shelves,  and  of  barrel  under  them  if  desired,  and 
a passage-way  besides,  is  a dumb-waiter,  which  goes  from  the  bot- 


* Recent  papers  state  the  fact  that  wood  furnishes  lighting  gas  several 
times  cheaper  than  coal,  and  easily  made. 

6 


122 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM, 


tom  to  the  top  of  the  house,  serving  every  story  in  its  passage — 
a contrivance  worth  $100  to  any  $1,000  house,  proportionally  to 
a more  costly  one.  The  general  objection  to  them  is  that  they 
carry  up  all  the  bad  odors  from  the  kitchen,  which  in  this  instance 
is  prevented  by  the  intervening  closet.  How  many  steps  must 
this  save  in  going  up  and  down  stairs  in  the  course  of  a year. 
Through  a speaking-tube  near  the  dumb-waiter  a communication 
is  opened  from  the  kitchen  to  the  upper  rooms,  so  that  what  is 
wanted  from  the  kitchen  may  be  called  for  and  sent  up,  and  what 
is  wanted  from  above  may  be  sent  down,  and  thus  nearly  all  the 
running  up  and  down  stairs  saved  by  the  dumb-wraiter.  Nor  is  it 
at  all  in  the  way,  from  bottom  to  top  of  the  house. 

The  kitchen  connects  with  the  workmen’s  dining-room,  15  by 
22,  and  this,  v'ith  their  sitting-room,  W S — no  unenviable  place 
to  spend  evenings,  and  where  they  can  amuse  themselves  without 
straying  to  the  grogshop  or  other  objectionable  places. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  house,  under  the  portico,  and  corre- 
sponding with  the  ice-house,  is  the  green-house , the  advantages  of 
which  I will  not  now  discuss.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  $100  to  $200 
is  a fair  allowance  for  it,  and  no  $1,000  house  should  be  with- 
out it.  That  sum  can  scarcely  be  spent  upon  a house  elsewhere 
to  as  great  an  increase  of  comfort.  Here  the  mistress  can  have 
her  flowers  and  the  master  his  grape-vines,  and  the  waste  water 
can  be  conducted  from  the  rooms  immediately  above,  as  well  as 
from  the  kitchen,  to  the  grape  border.  Without  a glass-house, 
larger  or  smaller,  I consider  any  house  very  imperfect.  Its  ad- 
vantages have  only  to  be  known  to  be  generally  adopted. 

A back  stairway  in  the  angle  between  the  kitchen  and  men’s 
dining-room,  having  an  oven  under  it,  leads  up  into  a like  stair- 
way above,  and  up  into  stories  still  above.  This  completes  the 
lower,  or  ground,  or  cellar  story,  which  is  eight  and  a half  feet 
high  in  the  clear.  Those  angular  stairways,  erected  on  the  angles 
of  the  ice  and  green  houses,  lead  from  the  ground  to  the  top  of  the 
ice  and  green  houses,  and  an  offset,  both  for  receiving  in — there 
being  an  outside  entrance  to  the  ice-house  here — and  for  landing 
from  and  entering  the  carriage,  completes  the  main  features  of 
this  story ; which  is  submitted  not  to  builders  and  men  merely, 
but  especially  to  women  and  practical  housekeepers,  for  such 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  AUTHOR’ S RESIDENCE. 


123 


approval  or  criticism  as  they  may  award  it.  That  it  can  not  be 
bettered  is  not  asserted,  but  that  it  is  far  superior  to  any  basement 
arrangement  before  invented  is  maintained.  And  mark  to  what 
extent  the  octagon  form  contributes  to  this  end.  Building  reader, 
is  not  this  plan  worthy  general  adoption  % 

43.  THE  MAIN  OR  PARLOR  STORY. 

Having  now  described  the  structure  and  divisions  of  the  lower 
or  work  story,  we  proceed  to  examine  the  'parlor , or  main  living 
story,  and  will  ascend  either  by  those  outside  stairs  by  the  ice  or 
green  house,  by  the  inside  back  stairs  over  the  oven,  or  through 
the  entry  from  the  lower  front  or  back  doors  into  that  great  cen- 
tral stairway,  marked  S,  which  is  12  feet  square,  and  yet  is  ren- 
dered octagonal  by  cutting  off  its  corners,  which  are  used,  one  for 
a dumb  waiter,  marked  W,  the  other  two  for  ventilation,  the  foul 
air  passing  between  the  floor  timbers  to  the  walls,  which  cross 
them  in  the  story  above,  up  to  the  upper  story,  and  out  just  under 
the  eaves.  Several  like  angles  of  closets  about  the  house  are  also 
used  for  ventilation,  so  that  every  room  in  the  house  is  ventilated 
perfectly. 

While  the  ground  story  is  exactly  adapted  by  its  position  for 
work,  storage,  etc.,  this  story  is  peculiarly  fitted  to  become  the 
main  pleasure  story  of  the  house,  first,  because  just  far  enough 
from  the  ground  to  prevent  all  dampness,  and  high  enough  to 
catch  any  summer  breeze  afloat,  and  yet  not  too  high  to  render 
ascent  to  it  laborious — the  lower  story  being  eight  and  a half  feet 
high.  Being  surrounded  by  a portico,  promenaders,  at  any  hour 
of  the  day,  can  walk  in  either  the  shade  or  sun  as  suits  them,  or 
walk  round  a covered  circle  of  some  300  feet — the  house  itself 
being  256. 

Members  of  the  family,  and  familiar  acquaintances,  will  pass 
up  those  stairs  figured  in  cut  No.  24,  alongside  of  the  green  or  ice 
houses,  and,  passing  along  the  portico,  enter  into  that  triangular 
entry,  in  the  angle  of  which  is  a place  just  large  enough  for  a hat- 
stand,  and  lighted  from  around  and  over  the  door,  and  pass  thence 
into  the  sitting,  or  more  properly,  drawing-room,  marked  D r,  or 
into  the  parlor,  as  occasion  requires;  while  strangers  will  ring 
the  bell  at  the  story  below,  and  pass  up  the  stairs  into  the  great 


124 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


central  stairway,  S,  and  thence  into  parlor,  drawing,  dining,  or 
amusement  rooms.  This  arrangement  gives  us  every  valuable 
end  attained  by  an  entry,  without  either  taking  up  much  room,  or 

Fig.  25. 


PARLOR  STORY  OP  AN  OCTAGON  HOUSE. 

separating  those  four  large  rooms,  each  22  by  39,  less  those  cor- 
ners, C,  taken  off  for  entry,  stairway,  and  closets.  Each  of  these 
rooms  is  larger  than  one  story  of  an  entire  house  25  by  28,  and 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  AUTHOR^  RESIDENCE. 


125 


oontains  over  700  square  feet,  or  some  75  yards  of  carpet.  Now 
unfold  two  such  magnificent  rooms  into  one — and  they  join  each 
other  lengthwise , so  that,  thus  thrown  together,  they  are  almost 
square,  or  39  by  44 — and  what  a place  for  a large  assembly,  a 
minister’s  donation  party,  or  any  social  gathering  on  a large  scale  ! 
Now  it  is  submitted  whether  such  free  and  cosy  meetings  of 
neighbors  and  congenial  spirits  can  not  be  turned  to  great  practical 
purposes  of  mental  profit  as  well  as  pleasure.  Should  they  not 
be  universally  adopted  in  this  country  ? And  what  a place  for 
such  gatherings ! 

If  two  rooms  are  not  large  enough,  throw  open  the  dining  and 
amusement  rooms,  and  you  have  four  spacious,  magnificent  rooms, 
embracing  an  area  of  over  300  square  yards,  and — please  observe 
this  beautiful  feature — having  four  side  rooms  adjoining  for  dress- 
ing or  retiring  rooms. 

Reader,  even  though  you  have  made  the  tour  of  Europe,  at- 
tended levees  in  the  mansions  of  the  lords  of  the  Old  World,  did 
you  ever  see  the  equal  of  this  suite  of  rooms  for  entertaining  large 
parties 

Large  suppers,  having,  however,  much  less  reference  to  physical 
than  mental  repasts — to  good  eating  than  speaking — at  which 
many  toasts,  sparkling  suggestions,  witty  effusions,  short,  pithy, 
racy,  eloquent,  convivial  speeches  will  constitute  the  chief  attrac- 
tion, and  at  which  woman  shall  contribute  as  much  as  man,  or 
improved  editions  of  our  public  suppers,  will  yet  be  abundant ; 
and  how  infinitely  pleasurable  and  profitable  such  mental , and 
moral , and  social  feasts  might  be  rendered ! And  what  rooms 
these  for  such  purposes ! Three  rows  of  tables,  nearly  forty  feet 
long,  or  four  rows  thirty-five  feet,  would  seat  one  hundred  guests, 
in  the  dining  and  amusement  rooms,  and  as  many  more  in  the 
parlor  and  drawing  rooms,  with  abundance  of  side  room  for  ward- 
robes, conversation,  and  a thousand  uses  requisite  on  such  oc- 
casions. 

The  late  Gardner  Howland,  of  the  firm  of  Howland  and  Aspin- 
wall,  large  shipping  merchants,  and  owning  the  California  Isthmus 
route,  came  with  his  daughters  to  see  this  house,  and  on  entering 
these  rooms,  a daughter  exclaimed,  “ Oh,  pa,  what  splendid 
rooms ! I wish  we  had  some  as  good !”  And  well  she  might, 


126 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


though  he  was  worth  many  millions,  and  had  just  expended,  in 
additions,  alterations,  and  repairs,  upon  an  already  costly  man- 
sion, about  as  much  as  this  entire  house  cost. 

Please  observe  that  doors  at  the  inner  ends  of  these  rooms  con- 
nect these  four  rooms — all  by  folding  doors , if  desired.  Access 
is  also  rendered  easy  from  each  to  each  and  all,  through  the  stair- 
way. Observe,  also,  that  here  are  eight  large  rooms,  all  adjoin- 
ing each  other,  and  all  perfectly  accessible,  and  securing  all  the 
advantages  of  an  entry,  without  any  of  its  disadvantages,  which 
are  great.  If  an  entry  divided  them,  only  half  as  large  a com- 
pany could  be  entertained  as  now,  for  an  intervening  entry  always 
breaks  the  spell  of  a party  ; yet  different  rooms,  opening  directly 
into  each  other,  'preserve  this  spell,  or  the  unity  of  the  assembly, 
whereas  an  inter  veiling  entry  would  make  two  companies.  Those 
who  have  not  thought  or  observed  on  this  point,  will  not  duly 
appreciate  it,  or  realize  the  evils  of  entries.  Yet  these  rooms 
need  no  entries — first,  because  the  entry  in  the  story  below  serves 
every  requisition  of  a through  entry  or  hall ; and,  second,  because 
the  location  of  the  stairs  renders  the  entry  only  an  up-and-down 
entry,  whereas,  in  most  large  houses,  the  hall  runs  through  the 
house,  both  from  side  to  side , and  from  bottom  to  top. 

The  appearance  of  this  stairway  is  really  magnificent — lighted 
from  a glass  dome,  70  feet  straight  up,  cupola  included,  octa- 
gonal in  form — a far  more  beautiful  figure  than  a square  or 
hexagon. 

Look  again  at  how  completely  it  ventilates  every  large  room 
in  every  story.  However  hot,  however  little  air  may  be  stirring 
of  a hot,  sultry  day,  open  a window  and  the  door  in  any  room  of 
any  story  into  this  central  ventilator,  and  up  rises  a strong  cur- 
rent of  air — a current  rendered  necessary  and  certain  by  the  great- 
er density  of  the  air  below  than  at  the  height  of  the  cupola.  Be- 
sides this  glass  dome  at  the  top  of  the  cupola,  each  of  its  eight 
sides  has  a window,  out  of  which  this  air  passes. 

To  practical  housekeepers  we  submit  one ' other  point — the 
greater  ease  with  which  work  can  be  done  in  rooms  thus  ar- 
ranged, than  in  rooms  usually  arranged.  For  example:  if  you 
wish  to  go  from  either  of  these  eight  rooms  to  either  story, 
above  or  below,  a few  steps  takes  you  to  this  central  stair- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  AUTHOR^  RESIDENCE. 


127 


way,  by  which  you  ascend  or  descend ; whereas,  if  its  entries 
and  stories  wrere  as  is  usual,  if  you  wish  to  go  from  the  dining 
or  amusement  room  up  stairs,  you  must  first  go,  say  from  the 
center  of  the  room  toward  the  back-entry  door  to  a door  into  the 
entry,  then  turn  a sharp  angle  to  the  left,  and  go  clear  to  the 
foot  of  the  stairway  near  the  front  door,  and  then  turn  square  and 
come  back  again,  while  ascending  the  stairs,  only,  perhaps,  to 
turn  square  round  to  the  left  to  go  right  back  toward  the  front  of 
the  house  to  one  of  the  front  upper  rooms.  But  by  this  arrange- 
ment, three  or  four  steps  bring  you  from  either  of  these  rooms  to 
the  foot  of  the  stairs,  ascending  which,  a few  more  steps  take  you 
to  whatever  door  above  you  may  wish  to  enter.  So,  also,  if  you 
wish  to  go  from  either  of  these  rooms  on  this  story  to  any  other, 
you  pass  straight  from  where  you  start,  through  this  stairway,  to 
your  place  of  destination. 

It  is  now  submitted  whether  you  can  not  go  from  room  to  room, 
and  story  to  story,  about  this  house,  with  less  than  half  the  steps 
requisite  to  get  from  room  to  room,  and  story  to  story,  in  other 
houses  as  usually  arranged.  Observe,  here  are  a great  many 
rooms,  and  all  handy  to  each  other.  In  short,  is  not  this  central- 
ity of  the  stairway  incomparably  superior  to  ordinary  entries  h 

But,  when  these  four  side  rooms  are  not  wanted  for  entertain- 
ing very  large  parties — yet  quite  large  parties  can  be  entertained 
comfortably  in  the  amusement-room,  appropriated  expressly  to 
ordinary  free  and  cosy  social  gatherings,  with  or  without  amuse- 
ments, thus  entertaining  company  well  without  throwing  open 
the  parlor,  or  exposing  its  carpet  in  muddy  weather — they  can  be 
occupied  profitably  thus : L for  a library  and  room  for  minerals, 
shells,  etc.,  including  some  portraits  ; B for  “ a prophet’s  cham- 
ber,” or  spare  bedroom,  which,  adjoining  the  library  and  also 
amusement-room,  is  well  located  for  this  purpose,  and  in  summer 
is  on  the  cool  side  of  the  house. 

On  the  south,  or  lower  side,  are  two  other  rooms,  W S and  F, 
the  former  beautifully  located  and  per/ectly  adapted  to  a winter 
sitting-room,  and  F to  a winter  sleeping-room.  Observe,  it  has 
no  outside  door , so  that  cold  can  enter  only  through  the  windows , 
there  being  two  doors  between  it  and  the  outside  doors.  This 
will  render  its  temperature  much  more  uniform  than  if  it  had  an 


128 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


outside  door,  and  situated  almost  over  the  fireroom,  it  can  be  ren- 
dered as  warm  as  you  please.  Is  not  this  a luxurious  arrange- 
ment for  cold  days  in  winter,  when  an  outside,  or  even  an  entry 
door,  will  admit  so  much  chilling  blast1? 

Both  these  rooms  are  also  over  two  like  rooms  below,  so  thUt 
heat  ascending  through  the  floor  will  help  to  keep  the  feet  warm. 
I never  like  to  occupy  the  first  floor,  either  in  summer,  for  it  is 
more  or  less  damp,  or  in  winter,  for  cold  will  creep  in,  and  pass 
up  to  the  floor  timbers  and  along  them  to  crevices  in  the  floor, 
whereas,  by  this  mode  of  building,  no  cold  air  can  come  to  these 
floor  timbers,  and  the  heat  ascends  from  the  workmen’s  sitting 
and  dining  rooms  below,  so  as  to  keep  the  feet  comfortable. 
Please,  reader,  reflect  on  the  importance,  as  a means  of  health 
and  luxury,  especially  to  cold-blooded  persons,  of  warm  floors  and 
feet  in  winter,  and  the  great  discomfort  and  injury  to  health  con- 
sequent on  cold,  floors  and  feet. 

Observe,  again,  that  often,  in  fall  and  spring,  when  the  weather 
changes  rapidly  from  warm  to  cold,  an  outside  door,  often  open- 
ed, soon  renders  a room  uncomfortable,  so  that  you  have  to  start 
a fire,  whereas,  in  this  case,  no  outside  door  admits  cold  or  emits 
heat,  so  that  it  retains  a uniform  temperature.  For  a like  reason 
it  does  not  become  so  hot  on  a hot  day  in  summer,  especially  as 
only  about  one- third  of  its  wall  is  at  one  time  exposed  to  the  sun’s 
rays,  and  this  only  half  the  day. 

This  uniformity  in  the  temperature  of  a room  is  a most  import- 
ant point.  None  who  have  not  experienced  it  can  realize  how 
important,  or  how  comfortable.  It  is  again  submitted  whether 
here  is  not  an  admirable  winter  luxury,  to  which  every  family 
might  treat  themselves. 

The  above  allusion  to  “ treating  ourselves  to  luxuries,”  requires 
a little  further  elucidation.  1 once  hired  a shrewd  Irishman,  who 
had  no  change  of  linen,  and  that  all  rags  and  dirt,  and  without 
coat  or  vest.  Set  to  work  with  other  Irishmen,  they  soon  began 
to  tease  him  about  his  clothes,  to  which  he  replied,  “ If  I were 
able,  I would  treat  myself  to  clean  linen  every  day  in  the  year, 
for  nothing  I can  give  myself  is  too  good  for  myself.” 

Apply  this  to  houses.  Should  they  not  be  furnished  with  just 
as  many  means  of  comfort,  and  even  luxury,  as  their  builder  is 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  AUTHOR’S  RESIDENCE.  129 

well  able  to  pay  for  1 Yet  how  often  are  thousands  spent  on  out- 
side appearances  and  inside  ornaments,  which  afford  no  solid  com- 
fort, only  foster  pride ! whereas,  a moiety  of  this  extra  expense 
would  add  to  the  real  enjoyments  and  luxuries  of  its  occupants 
every  day,  as  long  as  it  stands.  And  it  is  further  submitted 
whether  this  octagonal  form,  these  porticoes,  these  sumptuous 
center-rooms,  and  these  convenient  side  rooms,  together  with  this 
array  of  contrivances,  do  not  throw  far  into  the  shade  even  the 
best  and  most  costly  styles  of  modern  domestic  architecture? 

This  general  plan  was  set  forth  in  the  author’s  “ Home  for  All,” 
in  1847,  and  is  here  carried  out  with  some  modifications. 

It  remains  to  add  that  the  chimneys  are  carried  up  both  in  the 
middle  wall — made  fourteen  inches  wide  at  one  end  for  this  ex- 
press purpose,  as  represented  in  the  drawing,  and  also  in  an  angle 
in  each  of  the  four  closets,  cut  off  from  each  of  the  four  side 
rooms — made  as  described  in  a former  article,  by  drawing  a stick 
the  size  of  the  flue  along  up  while  building  the  wall,  thus  leaving 
a hole  after  it. 

As  eight  feet  was  too  narrow  for  an  ice-house,  it  was  made  six- 
teen feet ; and  as  the  portico  is  seven  and  a half  feet,  the  other 
eight  and  a half  feet  outside  the  portico,  and  over  the  ice  and  green 
houses,  are  occupied  by  stairs,  for  passage  up  and  down  outside 
of  the  house.  In  case  of  fire,  it  is  desirable  that  occupants  can 
reach  the  ground  by  an  outside  descent,  in  case  the  inside  stories 
should  be  enveloped  in  flame.  Visitors,  and  others,  too,  will  often 
pass  up  and  down,  to  the  roof  even,  without  going  inside.  These 
stairways,  then,  serve  to  cover  this  irregularity,  and  to  give  a 
stairway  outside  of,  and  without  any  way  interfering  with,  the  por- 
tico itself. 

As  to  my  own  house,  I am  quite  sure  it  will  never  burn  ; be- 
cause many  of  its  inside  walls  are  made  of  lime  and  stones. 

44.  UPPER  STORIES. 

To  this  story  there  are  four  ascents  from  the  story  below, 
namely,  one,  the  principal,  in  that  central  opening  figured  in  the 
previous  drawing,  and  marked  S in  Figure  26,  the  landing-place 
being  at  R ; the  second,  by  that  back  stairway,  also  figured  in  the 

6* 


130 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


preceding  drawing,  and  right  under  the  back  stairway  figured  in 
this  engraving,  having  an  entry  two  and  a half  feet  wide  connect- 
ing it  with  the  central,  and  a door- window  for  passing  out  upon 
the  portico,  and  two  outside  stairways  over  the  ice  and  green 
houses,  though,  except  for  looks,  there  is  need  of  only  one;  yet 
they  help  to  give  proportion  to  those  projections  caused  by  the 
ice  and  green  houses. 

The  ascent  to  the  story  still  above  is  also  figured  in  the  accom- 
panying engraving,  at  S,  yet  only  one  of  the  two  starting  places 
is  really  needed.  The  open  space  S transmits  abundance  of  light 
from  the  cupola  above,  the  top  of  which  is  glass,  to  both  the  stair- 
way and  those  dark  bedrooms,  O,  O,  0,  0,  which  have  a good- 
sized  window  over  the  door,  and  also  a skylight,  made  by  insert- 
ing Crystal  Palace  glass,  which  is  half  an  inch  thick,  and  will  bear 
to  be  walked  on  as  well  as  boards — into  the  roof,  at  K,  L,  M,  N, 
and  a board  across  the  corner  of  the  upper  story,  and  a pane  of 
common  glass  between  the  two  stories  allows  light  to  pass  down 
behind  this  board  into  the  middle  story,  or  that  above  the  parlor. 
Of  these  eight  interior  rooms  I think  the  world ; first  as  dormi- 
tories, cool  in  summer  and  warm  in  winter,  inaccessible  to  mus- 
quitoes,  yet  easily  ventilated  by  an  opening  into  the  ceiling  above, 
the  air  passing  along  between  floor  timbers,  and  so  out  into  the 
stairway. 

As  a place  for  a quiet,  retired  study,  being  lighted  from  above, 
they  will  be  far  more  pleasant  than  any  side  light  can  be,  and 
several  times  more  powerful.  They  will  also  serve  the  very  best 
of  purposes  for  flowers  in  winter,  or  for  apples  or  what  stores  may 
be  required  to  be  kept  from  freezing,  yet  in  a cool  temperature. 

But  it  is  for  these  two  uses  I think  the  most  of  them — or  for 
sleeping,  because  of  so  uniform  a temperature — not  hot  on  going 
to  bed  from  the  day’s  sun,  for  it  can  not  reach  them,  and  cool 
toward  morning  from  dew  or  rain,  but  the  same , morning,  noon, 
and  night,  and  in  winter  as  in  summer. 

The  other  special  use  is  for  an  author’s  studio.  Writers  will 
bear  witness  that  in  that  all-powerful  exercise  of  the  whole  mind 
requisite  for  writing  what  is  fit  to  be  read,  the  blood  forsakes  the 
extremities  and  skin,  and  mounts  rushing  to  the  head,  leaving  all 
the  outer  \yalls  a prey  to  cold,  which,  in  addition  to  severe  men- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  AUTHOR^  RESIDENCE.  131 

tal  exertion,  is  too  much  for  any  constitution  sufficiently  suscep- 
tible to  write  well.  Most  awful  havoc  have  my  own  night  wri- 
tings made  on  my  constitution — having  almost  destroyed  it. 

Fig.  26. 


UPPER  STORIES  OP  AN  OCTAGON  HOUSE. 

Most  horribly,  almost  as  if  actually  dying,  have  I felt  by  the 
hundred  times,  on  rising  in  the  morning,  after  having  written 
most -.of  the  night,  and  retired  cold  in  feet  and  skin,  but  hot  at 


132 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


the  head,  having  lain  for  hours  before  the  equalizing  circulation 
rendered  me  warm  enough  to  sleep. 

Then  why  not  write  by  a fire  ? it  may  be  asked.  I will  not 
stop  to  show  why,  only  to  say  that  my  own  experience  has  most 
imperiously  required  just  such  a place  for  writing. 

“ But  why  write  nights  f”  I believe  there  is  some  cause  in 
nature  why  from  sunset  to  midnight  facilitates  good  writing.  At 
all  events,  lecturing  has  rendered  my  mind  specially  active  at 
that  part  of  the  twenty-four  hours ; and  I am  most  glad  of  ex- 
actly such  a place  as  this  in  which  to  write  and  read;  for  the 
principles  just  stated  apply  measurably  to  reading. 

The  size  of  these  rooms  is  between  eleven  and  twelve  feet 
square,  saving  the  corners  cut  off  by  the  stairway,  and  used  for  a 
door-window. 

Observe,  also,  that  five  rooms  corner  at  K,  and  the  same  at  L, 
M,  and  N.  Hence,  by  placing  the  wash-stands  in  the  inner  cor- 
ners of  those  small  bedroom  closets,  one  lead  pipe  will  carry  off 
all  the  wash-water  from  these  Jive  rooms  in  both  stories,  one  pipe 
serving  ten  rooms,  and  one  pipe  also  bringing  fresh  water  to  this 
same  ten — a point  of  economy  I respectfully  submit  to  criticism. 

“Bring  it  from  where?”  you  ask.  From  cisterns  built  in  the 
upper  part  of  those  small  closets,  and  filled  from  the  roof,  having 
that  filtering  apparatus  already  described.  Cisterns  in  the  tops 
of  houses  are  most  desirable ; first,  because  they  save  carrying 
wash- water  up  to  chambers,  which  renders  it  scarce,  and  thus  re- 
tards cleanliness.  Abundance  of  water  in  the  sleeping-rooms  is 
most  desirable ; and  this  plan  furnishes  it. 

One  of  these  cisterns  also  connects  with  the  copper  boiler  at- 
tached to  the  kitchen  range,  and  this  descending  cold  water  forces 
up  the  hot  water  to  the  stories  above,  so  as  to  give  hot  and  cold 
water  to  each  story.  And  the  large  size  of  the  roof  will  give,  prob- 
ably, all  the  water  ever  wanted,  especially  as  the  cisterns  are  so 
connected  that  when  either  is  filled  its  surplus  runs  over  into  the 
next,  and  so  on  till  all  are  filled  above,  and  these  run  over  into 
those  large  lower  ones  below,  already  described. 

Observe,  again,  that  these  cisterns  are  over  closets,  or  built  in 
the  upper  part  of  closets — room  not  needed,  nor  likely  to  be  used 
for  any  purpose  whatever.  Most  masons,  indeed,  lath  ovep  clos- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  AUTHOR^  RESIDENCE.  133 

ets  about  seven  feet  high,  and  thus  that  vacant  space  is  shut  up 
entirely,  rather  than  finish  it.  But  in  this  upper  story,  I make 
the  closets  only  six  feet  high,  which  leaves  the  cisterns  four 
and  a half  feet  deep ; and  about  equal  in  size  to  half  of  an  eight- 
feet  square,  or  about  equal  to  six  feet  square,  or  holding  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  cubic  feet  of  water.  Yet  it  is  easy  to  make 
them  larger  or  smaller,  at  pleasure.  I prefer  smaller  ones  scat- 
tered in  the  four  quarters  to  a single  large  one,  and  those  more 
shallow  than  deep,  because  the  pressure  is  less. 

The  two  upper  stories  are  alike,  excepting  the  cisterns  in  the 
upper,  and  the  bath-room,  B R,  by  the  back  stairs  in  the  one 
below  it ; so  that  one  description  and  drawing  serves  for  both. 

45.  FILTRATION. 

Filtered  rain  water  is  the  very  best  drinking  water  in  the  world. 
Lime  or  hard  water  is  by  no  means  as  healthy  as  soft.  It  accel- 
erates the  action  of  the  alimentary  canal,  and  is  prolific  of  sum- 
mer complaints  in  children,  diarrhea,  cholera  morbus,  and  cholera. 
It  was  correctly  observed  in  the  cholera  times,  that  only  hard- 
water  districts  suffered  with  this  dreadful  malady.  In  the  hard- 
water  portions  of  Fishkill  this  disease  made  awful  havoc,  where- 
as not  one  case  occurred  in  the  soft-water  portion,  in  which  I reside, 
nor  in  any  other  soft-water  district,  as  far  as  I know.  I consider 
soft  water  a sure  preventive  of  most  forms  of  bowel  complaint, 
and  filtered  rain  water  gives  it. 

These  filters  are  easily  constructed  within  these  cisterns,  thus : 


* 

w 

e • 

e\f 

w 

Let  c represent  the  cistern,  and  the  little  square  marked  in  it 
stand  for  the  filter,  to  make  which,  lay  up  a box  of  brick,  made 


134 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


tight  at  the  sides  and  on  top,  and  cemented  inside  and  out ; but 
the  two  ends,  e e , must  be  laid  up  open,  so  that  the  water  can  pass 
through  the  filter  into  that  smallest  place  marked  /,  which  is  a 
deposit  for  the  water  after  it  is  filtered.  This  should  be  but  small, 
so  that  it  may  pass  through  the  filter  while  being  drawn  ; for  if 
this  place  holds  a gallon  or  two,  it  will  have  to  stand  in  this 
depot  from  the  previous  drawing,  and  therefore  not  be  fresh. 
The  walls,  w w , of  the  filter  should  be  made  water-tight  by  brick 
laid  in  cement,  and  plastered  outside  and  in  with  cement,  and 
the  top  also  made  water-tight  by  a large  stone,  the  size  of  the 
filter,  or  brick  laid  in  cement,  so  that  all  the  water  must  pass 
through  this  filter  in  order  to  reach  the  faucet. 

The  filtering  apparatus  itself  should  be  constructed  thus  : Set 
charcoal  on  fire  till  fairly  burning,  then  pound  fine,  and  lay  alter- 
nate layers  of  fine,  white,  clean  sand,  and  charcoal,  laid  not  hori- 
zontally, but  diagonally,  beginning  at  the  lower  corner,  under 
the  faucet,  and  laying  them  at  an  angle  of  45  degrees,  more  or 
less,  so  that  the  water  must  cross  these  layers  as  much  as  possible. 

Charcoal  pounded  fine  will  answer  without  the  burning,  but  is 
better  burned  in  an  iron  kettle. 

Those  who  have  no  such  filter  in  their  cistern,  yet  would  like 
to  obtain  this  filtered  rain  water,  or  to  filter  other  water,  can 
obtain  of  John  Kedzie,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  the  very  best  filters 
there  are.  He  invented  the  method  above  described,  and  fur- 
nishes filters  ready  for  use  at  $5,  $7  50,  $10.  They  will  last  an 
age,  if  repacked  about  every  five  years.  The  above  sums,  sent 
him  by  mail,  will  procure  by  return  express  one  of  these  health- 
promoting  luxuries,  worth  in  every  family  a hundred  times  its 
cost,  and  saving  it,  in  most  families,  many  times  over,  in  doctors’ 
bills  alone. 

Having  thus,  as  it  were,  gone  around  with  the  details  of  these 
stories,  let  us  look  at  them  more  in  the  aggregate. 

Each  story  gives  eight  large,  square-cornered  rooms,  each  15 
by  21,  lighted  by  one  large  window — far  better  than  two  smaller 
ones,  for  then  there  are  no  confusing  cross  lights — always  bad  for 
eyes,  and  preventing  clear  sight,  besides  adding  greatly  to  the 
cost  of  the  room,  and  to  uncontrolled  air-holes.  One  large  win- 
dow costs  one-third  less  than  two  of  half  its  size,  gives  just  as 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  AUTHOR^  RESIDENCE. 


135 


much  light,  and  that  all  in  a body , and  is  every  way  better  and 
cheaper.  We  have  already  given  a few  common-sense  principles 
about  building,  some  of  which  will  apply  to  large  and  small 
windows. 

To  these  two  points  in  these  stories  special  attention  is  invited. 
First,  every  square  room,  itself  large,  has  an  adjoining  room  for 
a bed,  or  for  retiring  to  change  dresses,  or  what  you  please ; and 
I have  been  in  hotels  enough  to  know  that  these  ante-rooms  are 
very  gr^at  conveniences,  and  useful  beyond  what  any  one  could 
imagine,  who  had  not  experienced  their  value.  Each  is  also  light- 
ed ; and  the  small  rooms  have  good  places  for  beds,  windows, 
and  corners,  and  all  clearing  the  closet  doors.  The  size  of  these 
rooms  comes  well  for  carpets,  namely,  five  yards  wide  and  seven 
long,  so  that  no  waste  would  occur  to  yard-wide  carpets,  where 
the  figures  also  cccupy  one  yard  in  length,  which  is  common. 
The  bedrooms  are  ten  feet  square — not  quite  so  good,  but 
drugget  two  yards  wide  will  cut  and  stretch  so  as  to  waste  little, 
if  any. 

The  other  point  is  closets.  On  their  value  I will  not  enlarge, 
but  only  say,  live  even  in  a poor  house  with  them,  and  then  in  a 
good  one  without  them,  if  a good  one  without  them  were  possible, 
and  you  will  want  to  move  back  again.  Let  practical  housekeep- 
ers attest  their  value.  No  room  is  really  tenantable  without  one, 
because  you  must  have  very  few  things  at  hand,  or  else  they  must 
be  under  foot,  or  tossed  from  chair  to  chair,  and  mantlepiece  to 
chair,  in  one  Babel  of  confusion.  “ But  can  they  not  be  put  into 
a bureau  V’  it  is  asked.  And  what  is  a bureau  but  a closet  in  the 
room,  instead  of  adjoining  it.  Yet  how  insignificant  is  a bureau 
compared  with  a closet ! In  the  latter,  fine  dresses  can  hang  un- 
ruffled, and  several  times  more  of  them.  Yet  both  closet  and 
bureau  are  desirable,  if  they  can  be  afforded.  And  one  closet, 
while  several  times  larger  than  a bureau,  costs  less  by  half,  be- 
sides being  every  way  better.  Now  please  observe  how  beauti- 
fully our  plan  provides  for  these  closets.  Every  room,  except 
those  dark  bedrooms,  have  one,  and  every  suit  of  rooms  has  two. 

Observe,  again,  the  advantages  of  this  triangular  form  of  closet. 
What  is  wanted  in  a closet  but  wall  room  for  shelves  and  pins. 
Now  suppose  you  take  six  feet  square  out  of  your  house  for  a 


136 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


closet.  Besides  spoiling  some  room,  your  closet  room  is  far  less 
available,  for  the  room  it  occupies,  than  my  triangular  closets. 
Your  six-feet  square  closet  occupies  thirty-six  square  feet  of  your 
house-room,  yet  gives  you  only  twenty-four  feet  of  shelf- 
room,  or  one-and-a-half  square  feet  of  house-room  to  one  foot 
of  shelf-room ; whereas  my  triangular  closets,  about  four-feet 
sides,  give  twelve  feet  of  shelf-room  for  only  eight  square  feet  of 
house-room,  or  only  two-thirds  of  a foot  of  house-room  to  every 
foot  of  shelf- room — a difference  of  fifty  per  cent,  more  shelf- 
room  by  my  plan  than  by  yours,  as  compared  with  the  real  room 
occupied  by  the  two  closets. 

And  then  how  much  more  accessible  is  a triangular  than  a 
square  closet ! By  your  plan,  the  door  must  be  on  one  end , so 
that  you  have  to  go  clear  into  it,  thereby  darkening  it,  to  get 
to  the  back  shelves ; whereas,  by  my  plan,  standing  in  the  door, 
you  reach  any  part  of  any  shelf,  without  going  inside. 

The  upper  part  of  most  closets  is  shut  up,  by  making  the  ceil- 
ing two  or  three  feet  lower  than  that  of  the  adjoining  room.  My 
mason,  as  usual,  thus  cut  off  the  upper  part  of  the  first  closet  he 
finished,  on  seeing  which,  I said,  “Finish  the  rest  close  up.” 
“ Why,”  he  exclaimed,  “ it  is  fourteen  feet  high.  Pray  how  can 
you  ever  reach  or  climb  up  to  its  upper  part.”  Thinking  a min- 
ute, I said,  “ Carpenter,  make  me  a box  the  shape  of  that  closet, 
but  one  foot  smaller  each  way,  put  in  plenty  of  those  iron  hooks, 
on  which  to  hang  things,  and  nail  it,  bottom  side  up,  on  to  the 
top  of  the  closet,  right  over-head and  taking  a thin,  long  strip  of 
wood,  like  a lath,  only  longer  and  stronger,  I put  my  clothes  on 
it,  and  hung  them  up,  not  only  on  all  around  the  upper  part  of 
the  closet,  but  all  around  this  box  over-head,  inside  and  outside 
of  it,  so  that  every  square  foot  of  this  closet  is  occupied.  And  it 
is  about  as  easy  to  hang  up  and  take  down  a coat  from  right 
over-head,  and  all  around  the  upper  part  of  the  closet,  as  on  the 
lower  hooks. 

One  other  requisition  about  a good  house  I take  the  liberty  of 
alluding  to,  because  so  “necessary”  to  a real  human  want.  Al- 
lusion is  made  to  an  in-door  “water-closet.”  You  have  an  infirm 
guest,  whom  you  would  treat  with  all  possible  hospitality.  Obli- 
ged, during  a cold,  rainy  night,  to  respond  to  one  of  nature’s  im- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  AUTHOR’S  RESIDENCE. 


137 


perious  calls,  to  go  out  to  the  usual  place  exposes  him  to  take 
cold,  besides  being  so  disagreeable.  To  employ  any  vessel  in 
his  room,  besides  being  repulsive  to  many,  obliges  him  to  breathe 
noxious  and  offensive  air  the  balance  of  the  night.  Then  is  not 
an  inside  “ water-closet”  a real  necessity  in  a prime  house  1 And 
under  the  stairs  is  just  the  place  for  one,  its  contents  passing  down 
one  of  those  chimney-places,  marked  in  the  preceding  engraving, 
into  a receiving  box  in  the  cellar,  made  tight  and  easily  cleaned, 
so  as  to  confine  all  its  odor  within  itself,  and  both  this  receptacle 
and  the  closet  itself  ventilated  into  an  adjoining  chimney.  A re- 
cent invention  in  Boston  renders  these  closets  perfectly  odorless, 
by  ventilating  it  from  the  seat  downward  into  the  chimney.  This 
prevents  odor  from  passing  up  into  the  closet  or  house,  for,  in 
ascending,  it  is  swept  by  this  air  current,  passing  from  the  seat, 
downward,  and  then  off  into  the  chimney,  and  is  cleansed  by  water 
from  that  cistern  near  by,  so  that  every  story  can  have  one,  with- 
out in  the  least  scenting  either  closet  or  house.  To  squeamish 
maidens  and  fastidious  beaux  this  point  is  not  submitted,  but 
matrons,  the  aged  and  feeble,  are  asked,  is  not  such  a closet  a real 
household  necessity  and  luxury  ] Yet  it  need  be  used  only  in 
cases  of  special  need,  the  one  generally  used  being  outside,  as 
usual. 

On  one  other  point  suffer  this  passing  remark.  Since  God  has 
made  human  excrement  promotive  of  vegetable  growth,  to  waste 
it,  as  is  now  usually  done,  is  as  wicked  as  to  waste  food  itself, 
for  it  is  nature’s  means  of  creating  food  ; and  to  economize  it,  and 
apply  it  to  producing  and  enhancing  vegetation,  is  a moral  duty. 
Then,  if  possible,  so  place  this  out-building  that  the  wash-water 
from  the  kitchen  shall  rinse  it  down  into  a covered  vat,  to  be  baled 
out  and  applied  in  a liquid  form  to  grape-vines,  garden  vegetables, 
etc.  The  Chinese  have  abundance  of  such  closets  and  vats,  which 
their  economical  farmers  are  perpetually  exhausting  to  enrich 
their  lands.  That  law  of  progress,  and  ultimate  need  of  food,  de- 
veloped in  the  great  law  of  Progression,  argues  that  all  of  earth’s 
enriching  materials  should  be  husbanded  and  applied  to  increas- 
ing human  food — this  of  course  included.  Since  I adopted  the 
practice  of  having  all  my  chamber  and  kitchen  slops  emptied 
daily  around  my  trees,  their  growth  is  indeed  surprising,  and 


138 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  OCTAGON  FORM. 


becomes  more  and  still  more  astonishing  daily,  from  week  to 
week.  Let  every  family  plant  out  some  choice  vines  and  trees, 
and  serve  them  in  like  manner,  and  the  amount  of  gustatory 
luxury  secured  by  this  course  will  be  most  surprising.  To  waste 
Heaven’s  best  enriching  materials  is  wicked  ; to  save  them,  wise 
and  self-serving.  This  species  of  manure,  saved  from  all  our 
cities,  villages,  and  families,  would  wonderfully  enhance  the  abund- 
ance and  cheapness  of  food,  and  some  day  it  will  all  be  saved. 

46.  PIAZZAS. 

In  completing  the  description  of  the  author’s  residence,  it  re- 
mains to  add,  the  piazzas  are  erected  all  around  at  each  story. 
In  the  two  upper  ones,  the  floor  timbers  of  these  piazzas  are 
halved  into  the  floor  inside  timbers,  so  that  the  flooring  binds  the 
whole  together,  and  greatly  promotes  the  stability  of  the  whole 
house. 

These  verandas  are  delightful  places  on  which  to  spend  twi- 
light and  moonlight  summer  evenings,  in  either  promenading  or 
conversation.  And  the  advantages  of  having  them  all  around 
the  house  is  considerable,  allowing  you  to  choose  sun  *>r  shade, 
breeze  or  shelter  from  it,  as  comfort  dictates. 

The  scenery  from  my  own,  especially  at  sunset,  is  most  de- 
lightful. Commanding  a full  prospect  of  both  the  far-famed  “ High- 
lands,” and  also  of  the  Cattskill  Mountains,  mountain-house 
included,  together  with  the  opposite  banks  of  the  noble  Hudson, 
the  sails  on  which  are  often  in  sight,  besides  “ College-hill,”  and 
looking  down  on  a vast  stretch  of  level  land  up  the  Hudson  val- 
ley, it  is  one  of  the  most  magnificent  inland  prospects  I have 
ever  seen.  The  prospect  is  vast,  like  a great  panorama,  having 
every  variety  of  scenery,  except  water,  which  can  rarely  be  con- 
nected with  so  fine  a mountain  and  plain  landscape. 

On  the  evening  of  July  4th,  rockets  from  nineteen  towns  and 
villages  were  counted  from  my  roof,  and  doubtless  more  might 
have  been  seen  if  looked  for. 

From  the  top  of  the  cupola,  which  is  20  feet  high,  and  21  in 
diameter — an  octagon  of  eight-and-a-half  feet  sides — the  view  is 
truly  splendid.  Of  course  the  house  can  be  seen  “ from  all  the 
country  round  about.” 


SHADE-TREES,  SHRUBBERY,  ETC. 


139 


47.  A GREEN-HOUSE  AND  FLOWER-PIT. 

Every  house  should  have  its  green-house.  Even  only  a $200 
to  $400  house  should  have  its  hot-bed,  or  small  green-house ; 
while  every  $2,000  to  $5,000  house  should  have  a good  one.  If 
the  proprietor  has  not  the  means  to  make  both  as  good  as  he 
would,  let  him  curtail  his  house  to  spend  upon  a green-house. 
One  of  the  first  quality,  say  100  feet  long,  will  cost  from  $600 
to  $1,000,  yet  a good  one,  with  cistern  and  other  conveniences, 
can  be  made  for  from  $100  to  $300.  The  most  expensive  part  is 
the  glass  and  sash  ; but  glass  costs,  say  $5  per  100  feet,  and  sash 
about  $2  or  $2  50  each,  say  3 by  12,  while  the  wall  part  can  be 
built  of  the  material  described  for  building  the  house.  If  it  has 
but  one  roo^  it  requires  one  wall,  about  12  feet  high,  but  if  it 
has  two  sides  glass,  it  requires  but  little  wall. 

Its  advantages  are,  the  luxury  of  grapes  finer  than  can  be  had 
in  out-of-door  culture,  a place  to  start  early  cabbages,  tomatoes, 
potatoes,  etc.,  and  especially  flowers  in  early  spring,  before  nature 
puts  on  her  out-of-door  floral  colors.  Indeed,  it  can  be  made  to 
subserve  several  very  useful  ends. 

Another  handy  appendage  to  any  house  is  a pit,  in  which  to 
bury  winter  flowers,  made  thus : Dig  a pit,  say  ten  feet  square, 
more  or  less,  and  four,  five,  or  six  feet  deep ; then  make  a box 
inside,  say  6.  8,  or  10  inches  from  the  dirt,  and  fill  in  with  tan 
bark  ; cover  over  all  but  a door,  nailing  boards  on  the  lower  side 
of  the  floor  timbers,  which  should  be  set  slanting  to  shed  rain; 
fill  in  with  tan  bark  or  saw  dust ; then  nail  on  your  floor  boards, 
which  should  be  matched,  and  have  a double  sash  and  lights  at 
the  place  you  enter,  one  swinging  up,  the  other  down,  and  your 
plants  will  keep  without  freezing  all  winter,  and  require  only 
wetting  say  once  a month — for  this  is  the  season  of  rest,  so  that 
they  require  little  water  till  March  will  enable  you  to  transfer 
them  to  green- house  or  sitting-room. 

48.  SHADE  TREES,  SHRUBBERY,  FRUIT  TREES,  ETC. 

The  prevailing  fashion  is  to  plant  forest  trees  near  the  house. 
Is  this  best1?  Shade  draws  musquitoes ; and  this  alone  is  very 
objectionable.  They  do  not  gather  in  the  shades  of  small  single 


140 


STRAWBERRIES. 


trees,  but  only  where  foliage  is  dense.  Hence  fruit  trees  can 
surround  the  house  without  inviting  them.  And  do  not  fruit 
trees  look  as  well  as  forest  1 Their  foliage  is  as  green  and  beauti- 
ful. They  lack  only  the  size  and  massive  majesty  of  large  trees, 
but  excel  them  in  the  beauty  of  their  blossoms  and  fruit.  Cherry 
trees  often  grow  large,  and,  to  my  taste,  far  eclipse  forest  trees 
in  beauty  of  looks,  especially  while  blossoming,  and  loaded  with 
ripening  fruit ; for  what  looks  better,  more  luscious,  more  inviting, 
than  a tree  full  of  fruit,  and  in  all  its  stages  from  blossom  till  its 
fruit  is  picked  1 At  least  the  difference  in  beauty  is  not  great, 
whereas  the  profitableness,  and  the  real  gustatory  luxury  derived 
from  fruit  trees,  renders  them  very  far  superior  to  forest  trees. 
And  fruit  trees,  especially  cherry,  by  the  roadside,  how  beautiful, 
how  luxurious,  how  refreshing  the  fruit ! I have  lined  the  road 
where  it  passes  through  my  own  lands  on  both  sides  with  them. 

Forest  trees  are  also  absolutely  incompatible  with  a fine  pros- 
pect. Be  your  landscape  ever  so  fine,  they  hide,  or  at  least  spoil 
it.  A grove  somewhere  below,  or  on  a side  of  the  house  where 
the  prospect  is  poor,  may  do,  but  why  not  a grove  of  fruit 
instead  of  forest  trees  1 Still,  “ every  one  to  his  liking,”  while 
we  consider  the  kinds  of  fruits  most  desirable,  and  their  culti- 
vation. 

STRAWBERRIES. 

Of  the  value  of  this  fruit  it  is  not  our  purpose  to  speak — 
their  deliciousness  attests  that — but  of  their  cultivation.  Almost 
every  house  has  a little  land  or  lot  attached,  at  least  a tithe  of 
which  should  be  appropriated  to  this  luxurious  fruit.  Probably 
the  best  single  variety  is  Hovey’s  seedling  ; yet  it  is  less  prolific 
than  some  others,  and  needs  to  be  intermixed  with  some  other 
variety,  in  order  to  fructify  it,  all  its  blossoms  being  female. 
The  Virginia  seedling  is  an  early  variety,  and  good  to  intermingle 
with  the  Hovey.  The  Boston  Pine  is  another  excellent  kind — 
large,  rich,  and  prolific.  The  Pine-apple  comes  on  later  than 
either,  and  on  this  account  is  valuable;  and  Newland’s  Pine  still 
later,  besides  hulling  itself  while  picking,  and  ripening  gradually. 
Frequent  watering  will  greatly  promote  their  fruitfulness  and 
prolong  their  season  of  ripening.  When  not  in  bearing,  slops 


BLACK  AND  RED  RASPBERRIES. 


141 


from  the  kitchen  and  chambers  will  wonderfully  increase  their 
fertility. 

BLACK  RASPBERRIES 

Begin  to  ripen  before  strawberries  disappear,  and  are  quite  as 
delicious — by  most  considered  even  more  so.  To  my  own  taste 
no  flavor  exceeds  that  of  their  juice  expressed  and  sweetened. 
On  puddings,  or  eaten  with  bread,  it  is  unsurpassed.  And  in  our 
ice  house  it  can  be  kept  for  months,  without  the  least  fermenta- 
tion. Working  spoils  this  flavor;  for  what  is  the  fermenting 
but  the  souring  and  decaying  process ; besides  engendering  alco- 
hol, which  is  inimical  to  life  and  virtue.  This  berry,  as  also  leaf, 
is  astringent,  and  thus  good  to  counteract  bowel  and  summer 
complaints,  nor  quite  as  bad  to  take  as  pikery.  Select  from  the 
fields  bushes  which  bear  large,  luscious  berries,  transplant  to  some 
corner  of  your  garden,  there  to  remain  undisturbed,  but  wet  often 
with  soap  suds  and  chamber  wash,  and  they  will  bear  most  aston- 
ishingly. 

RED  RASPBERRIES 

Ripen  at  the  same  time,  and  for  preserves  stand  unrivaled,  if 
not  unequaled.  Of  these  there  are  various  kinds,  of  which  the 
Falstaff  is  perhaps  the  best  for  general  culture,  because  the  red 
and  white  Antwerp  require  to  be  covered  in  winter;  yet  are  well 
worth  even  this  trouble.  They  bear  most  abundantly  if  kept 
well  manured.  The  ground  can  not  be  too  rich. 

Their  standing  price  in  the  New  York  market  is  25  to  35  cents 
per  quart,  and  their  culture  furnishes  women  who  have  to  earn 
their  own  living,  or  even  spending  money,  a much  more  easy 
way  than  the  needle,  and  quite  as  genteel.  Why  is  not  berry 
culture  an  appropriate  female  occupation.?  Certainly  for  wife 
and  daughters  to  have  their  berry  beds,  and  often  adorn  and 
luxuriate  the  supper  table,  after  husband  or  father  return  from 
daily  toil,  is  both  appropriate  and  endearing.  How  he  must 
relish  them  when  provided  by  those  he  loves,  and  that  love  him, 
and  provided  as  a token  of  the  love  they  bear  him ! Does  not 
this  provision  of  small  fruits  furnish  our  women  with  a most 
excellent  means  of  awakening  and  perpetuating  affection  ? “ Her 


142  BLACKBERRIES WHORTLE  BERRIES — CHERRIES. 


son’s  mandrakes”  were  Leah’s  means  of  wooing  Jacob’s  com- 
pany and  love  over  his  other  wives. 

BLACKBERRIES 

Follow  in  the  wake  of  raspberries — first,  the  running,  then  the 
standing.  I have  appropriated  a portion  of  my  own  ground  to 
both  kinds,  and  transplanted  three  choice  kinds  found  growing 
wild.  I also  imported  choice  bushes  from  Maine,  New  Hamp- 
shire, Vermont,  Connecticut,  and  central  New  York,  some  of 
which  prove  to  be  very  large  and  luscious,  and  many  times  repay 
both  expense  and  trouble.  Once  planted  in  rich  ground,  they 
require  little  attention,  except  to  pick  the  fruit.  They,  too,  like 
the  black  raspberry  are  astringent,  and  excellent  for  children. 
The  same  remarks  made  of  the  juice  of  the  raspberry,  applies 
equally  to  that  of  the  blackberry.  Diluted,  sweetened,  and 
eaten  with  bread,  and  in  place  of  milk,  it  is  far  more  palatable, 
nourishing,  and  healthy.  Would  that  men  would  substitute  ber- 
ries and  their  juice  in  place  of  milk  and  butter  ! 

BLUE  AND  WHORTLE  BERRIES 

Are  cotemporaneous  with  and  follow  blackberries,  and  are 
about  equal  to  them,  and  should  be  cultivated.  These  and  black 
berries  fill  an  important  gap  between  strawberries  and  cherries, 
on  the  one  hand,  and  peaches  and  apples  on  the  other,  and  which 
reincreases  their  value. 


CHERRIES. 

Another  excellent  and  delicious  fruit.  The  best  kinds  for  a 
small  garden  are  Coe’s  Transparent,  Mayduke,  Black  Tartarian, 
Yellow  Spanish,  and  Coronation.  Coe’s  Transparent  is  yet  little 
known  ; was  produced  by  Mr.  Coe,  a nurseryman,  of  Middle- 
town,  Conn.,  and  is  the  very  earliest  really  good  cherry  known 
to  the  writer.  The  Mayduke  and  Tartarian  all  know  too  well 
to  require  description.  The  common  Morello  is  good  for  pre- 
serves and  pies,  yet  too  acid  for  the  table,  and  a poor  bearer. 
Ramsey’s  Morello — a seedling  raised  in  Fishkill,  and  to  be  had 
of  Brinkerhoff,  nurseryman,  Five  Corners,  Fishkill,  Dutchess  Co., 
N.  Y. — is  very  early,  is  excellent  for  both  cooking  and  table,  very 


APRICOTS PLUMS. 


143 


rich  and  prolific,  and  one  of  four  of  the  very  best.  Where 
garden  room  will  allow,  the  Waterloo  and  Knight’s  Early  Black 
should  be  added.  They  resemble  each  other  closely,  and  also 
the  Black  Tartarian,  yet  are  a week  earlier ; and  Knight’s  Early 
Black  even  precedes  the  Mayduke  in  ripening,  besides  fully 
equaling  the  Black  Tartarian  in  size  and  flavor.  A single  tree 
of  the  common  Black  Mazzard  may  be  well,  because  being  late 
to  ripen,  and  good  to  eat  and  cook. 

APRICOTS 

Appear  as  cherries  vanish.  A tree  or  two  are  advisable, 
yet  should  be  budded  on  plum  stock,  and  be  on  the  south  or 
east  side  of  some  wall  or  house,  or  else  on  the  north  side.  The 
Golden  and  Moorpark  are  the  two  best  varieties — the  former, 
later  in  blossoming,  oftener  escapes  spring  frosts  than  the  latter, 
yet  is  not  as  fine  a variety. 

PLUMS. 

Of  this  fruit  the  very  earliest  really  good  kind  is  Rivers’ 
Early,  a tree  of  which  should  enrich  every  garden.  The  Egg 
Plum,  popular  because  large,  is  worthless.  Few  kinds  equal  the 
Green  Gage  in  quality,  yet  the  French  Prune  suits  my  taste  as 
well  as  any.  Plant  Coe’s  Golden  Drop  and  Late  Red,  the  Frost 
Gage,  Damson,  Blue  Gage,  a common  native  variety,  and  other 
kinds. 

But  the  curculio,  a small  bug  like  the  pea-bug,  large  behind 
and  small  before,  and  having  a hard  shell,  is  most  destructive  to 
apricots  and  plums,  and  can  be  destroyed  by  hanging  several 
large-mouthed  vials  partly  filled  with  sweetened  water  on  the 
limbs,  in  which  they  will  drown  themselves  by  attempting  to 
drink ; by  spreading  sheets  under  the  trees,  and  shaking  hard, 
which  will  cause  them  to  fall ; by  scattering  a double  handful 
of  salt  around  under  each  tree,  which  will  annoy  and  destroy  the 
worm  before  it  hatches  ; by  collecting  what  plums  fall  off,  and 
steeping,  thereby  destroying  the  worm — and  shaking  off  the  stung 
fruit — and  by  putting  two  or  more  wrings  of  cotton  batting 
around  the  tree  to  prevent  their  crawling  up  the  tree,  while  yet 
too  weak  to  fly.  Sprinkling  or  throwing  dry  lime  on  the  tops 


144 


PEACHES — PEAKS. 


of  the  trees  while  wet  with  dew  or  rain,  helps  to  keep  both  this 
and  other  insects,  especially  ants,  from  the  tree,  besides  benefiting 
it.  It  is  equally  good  on  all  kinds  of  fruit  trees. 

PEACHES. 

This  fruit  is  too  well  known  and  too  delicious  to  need  descrip- 
tion. Every  house,  in  every  locality  where  one  will  grow, 
should  have  its  peach  trees. 

The  kinds  most  desirable  for  a small  garden  are,  Early 
York,  Early  Rareripe,  George  the  Fourth,  Washington,  Morris 
White,  Crawford’s  Early,  Crawford’s  Late,  the  Tartary,  Scott’s 
Nonpareil,  Nonesuch,  Stump  of  the  World,  etc.  But  the  kinds 
are  so  numerous,  and  the  qualities  of  many  so  nearly  alike,  that 
we  can  not  detail  them. 

The  two  enemies  of  the  peach  are  a worm  of  the  root,  and  win- 
ter. The  former  are  easily  forestalled  by  annually  examining 
the  crown  of  the  roots,  and  if  gum  filled  with  some  sawdust  ap- 
pears, the  worm  is  eating  away,  and  must  be  dug  out.  Boiling 
water  poured  about  the  roots  will  also  kill  them,  and  benefit  the 
tree,  and  any  bad-smelling  substance  will  also  keep  the  parent 
wasp-like  insect  from  depositing  its  egg. 

Against  the  winter  they  are  easily  protected  by  tying  straw 
around  the  body  and  main  limbs — only  a few  minutes’  work. 

PEARS  AND  APPLES. 

Eor  deliciousness  of  flavor,  melting  texture,  and  juicy  pulp, 
pears  stand  unsurpassed,  even  by  peaches. 

The  flavor  of  no  peach  surpasses  that  of  a first  quality  of  pear. 
They  are  also  in  eating  from  July  till  April,  while  peaches  are 
obtainable  only  some  three  months.  They  likewise  contain  iron 
in  larger  proportion  than  other  kinds  of  food,  and  by  furnishing 
this  indispensable  life-instrumentality  to  the  blood  are  especially 
healthy  for  pale,  consumptive,  and  blue-veined  persons.  Poor 
pears  are  very  unhealthy,  but  good  ones  as  beneficial  as  any 
other  fruit.  Their  variety  is  also  very  great,  sweet,  acid,  melt- 
ing, breaking,  early  and  late,  which  adapts  them  to  all  palates 
and  persons.  They  are  also  extra  good  for  stewing  and  preserv- 
ing— no  fruit  better. 


PEAJJS. 


145 


The  kinds  most  desirable  for  family  use  are,  taking  them  in 
the  order  of  ripening,  first  the  Early  Sugar,  or  Sweet  Harvest, 
which  is  first  to  ripen,  yet  rather  insipid ; next  the  Madeline, 
three  or  four  days  later,  yet  far  better,  and  a truly  excellent  pear 
both  for  eating  and  cooking,  a tree  of  which  every  family  should 
have  ; the  Bloodgood,  a rich,  russety  pear,  following  the  Made- 
line ; the  Passans  du  Portugal,  or  Portuguese  Passion,  a small 
apple-shaped,  melting,  and  most  delicious  variety,  a wonderful 
bearer  every  year ; the  Rostiezer,  very  sweet  and  rich,  yet  small ; 
the  Bartlet,  a fine,  noble,  buttery,  prolific  fruit,  among  the  best ; 
the  Vergalue,  or  St.  Michael,  most  melting  and  delicious,  but 
generally  known ; the  Seckle,  a small,  but  the  most  highly 
flavored  of  all;  the  Louisa  Bonne  de  Jersey,  a large,  beautiful, 
and  most  delicious  variety  ; the  Buere  de  Amaulis,  good  to  eat 
or  cook ; the  Duchess  de  Angouleme,  first-rate  on  quince  stock,  yet 
not  so  good  on  pear ; the  Buffum,  very  prolific,  and  almost  equal 
to  Vergalue  ; the  Buere  Diel,  an  extra  large  and  fine  kind  when 
well  cultivated ; Queen  of  the  Low  Countries,  extra  good  for 
preserves;  Catalac,  and  Rushmore’s  Bon  Chretin,  both  first  best 
for  cooking  ; the  Winter  Neillis,  Vicar  of  Winkfield,  and  Law- 
rence, for  winter  use ; and  Buere  Spence,  Esther  Buere,  and 
Buere  Rans,  the  latest  keeping  of  all. 

Stevens’  Genesee,  Chaumontel,  Count  de  Lamy,  Henry  IV., 
St.  Ghislain,  Tyson,  one  of  the  sweetest  and  richest  of  pears,  and 
many  other  kinds  are  well  worthy  of  cultivation,  yet  those  who 
have  our  first  list  will  have  at  least  a good,  though  possibly  not 
the  very  best,  selection. 

Their  successful  cultivation  requires  a rich  soil,  well  supplied 
with  lime  and  bones.  In  many  localities  the  winter  kills  them, 
yet  I think  this  occasioned  by  too  deep  setting.  Thus  the  deep 
roots  continue  warm,  and  therefore  to  send  up  sap  after  the 
weather  has  changed  from  warm  to  cold,  whereas  shallow  set 
roots,  becoming  cold  a.s  soon  as  the  top,  do  not  force  up  sap 
when  cold  enough  to  freeze  it.  Most  trees  are  set  too  deep. 
The  crown  of  the  roots  should  be  above  the  earth.  If  your  trees 
are  deep  set,  dig  off  all  the  earth  down  to  where  the  roots 
branch  out,  and  you  will  lose  few,  if  any,  and  none  after  fairly 
established. 


7 


146 


PEARS  AND  APPLES, 


Most  pears  require  to  be  picked  before  fully  ripe,  and  are  bet- 
ter if  ripened  off  in  the  house. 

Of  apples  we  have  little  to  say,  because  so  common  ; yet, 
much  as  they  are  prized,  how  many  neglect  to  set  them,  because 
so  long  before  they  bear!  But  time  passes  faster  than  we  think 
for.  Once  well  set,  and  this  is  a most  important  point,  they  grow 
while  we  sleep,  and  in  a few  years  become  large,  fine  trees,  an- 
nually loaded  with  the  means  of  health  and  gustatory  luxury. 
Peaches  bear  earliest,  and  pears  are  longest  in  becoming  pro- 
ductive, yet  live  longest,  and  when  one  limb  dies,  send  up  others, 
and  live  on  in  spite  of  decay  and  every  thing  else.  As  1 was 
bringing  home  a load  of  pear  trees,  a neighbor  said:  UA  very 
good  thing  for  the  neighborhood,  this  bringing  into  it  these  fine 
fruits,  for  somebody  will  be  benefited ; but,  Mr.  Fowler,  you 
and  I will  never  live  to  see  them  bear,  for  it  takes  fifteen  years 
for  that.  This  was  in  1849  ; and  I this  year  picked  half  a 
bushel  of  delicious  pears  from  some  of  the  trees  in  that  very 
load ; and  in  four  years  more  shall  expect  to  pick  four  bushels 
a-piece  off  from  several  of  them.  All  who  see  my  trees  are 
astonished  that  they  fruit  so  early  and  abundantly.  I attribute 
it  to  two  causes — throwing  several  horns,  obtained  of  tanners  and 
comb-factors,  or  animals*  skulls,  obtained  from  butchers,  or  other 
bones,  into  the  holes,  under  the  trees,  before  setting,  and  carting 
the  lees  or  residuum  left  after  making  soap,  from  a chandler’s 
factory.  I cart  it  eight  miles,  and  pay  ten  dollars  a year  for  it, 
and  think  it  pays  abundantly.  Of  all  the  trees  I ever  saw  grow 
out  the  ground,  mine,  served  in  this  way,  take  the  lead.  These 
lees  contain  alkali  and  salt,  and  are  like  soap  suds,  only  far 
better.  Ashes  are  first  best,  especially  for  young  trees,  contain- 
ing the  very  elements  required  for  the  formation  of  wood. 

But  to  recommend  that  assortment  which  will  furnish  a suc- 
cession of  apples  from  July  to  May  is  all  we  will  now  attempt, 
namely,  the  sweet  and  the  sour  Bough,  ripe  in  July,  the  Jersey 
Sweet,  Maiden’s  Blush,  Fall  Pippin,  Seek-no-farther,  Tall  man 
Sweeting,  Greening,  Baldwin,  Northern  Spy,  and  Roxbury  Rus- 
set. Others  may  be  added  according  to  your  ground,  but 
so  much  is  already  known  of  this  fruit  as  to  require  little  ex- 
planation. 


ROOF  AND  ROOFING. 


147 


49.  ROOF  AND  ROOFING. 

A roof  nearly  flat,  so  as  merely  to  turn  water,  is,  on  several 
accounts,  greatly  preferable  to  a steep  one  • especially  as  a prom- 
enade, for  drying  clothes,  etc.  It  is  also  more  easily  framed  and 
supported;  because  a directly  downward  pressure  is  more  easily 
sustained  than  a slanting  one.  The  water  from  every  house 
should  be  carried  into  cisterns,  constructed  in  its  top,  to  be  used 
in  chambers,  thus  saving  carrying  it  up.  If  the  builder  is  not 
able  to  do  better,  let  him  furnish  a barrel,  or  hogshead,  or  a large 
trough,  lined  with  tin,  to  retain  at  least  enough  for  washing  pur- 
poses. And  to  have  plenty  of  hot  and  cold  water  all  through 
the  house  is  a luxury  too  great  to  be  wanting  in  any  complete 
house.  This  is  easily  effected  by  constructing  a cistern  in  the 
top  of  the  house,  having  a lead  pipe  connecting  with  a copper 
boiler  attached  to  furnace  or  stove,  so  that  the  water  will  be 
forced  down  through  this  copper  boiler,  heated,  and  driven  up 
another  pipe  into  the  chambers,  or  a bath-room,  and  also  drawn 
out  of  the  boiler  direct.  Probably  the  best  way  to  construct 
these  cisterns  is  to  make  a strong  box  of  joists  and  boards,  and 
line  with  tin  or  zinc.  These  joists  can  be  made  to  inclose  and 
hold  the  boards,  and  they  the  zinc — probably  better  than  tin,  for 
it  never  rusts.  A box  can  not  easily  be  made  water-tight,  and 
hence  the  need  of  some  inside  lining. 

Filters  can  be  made  inside  these  cisterns,  according  to  direc- 
tions already  given.  The  water  from  the  roof  can  be  made  to 
run  off  at  eaves,  as  is  usual,  and  taken  inside  by  leaders,  or  the 
roof  so  constructed  as  to  have  it  run  down  in  the  center.  In  this 
case  some  sort  of  a balustrade  will  be  required,  which,  while  it 
will  increase  the  expense,  will  greatly  improve  the  looks  of  the 
house.  My  own  has  this  balustrade,  serving  the  same  purpose  as 
the  banister  of  a portico.  Mine  is  built  partly  of  brick,  and  in 
part  of  the  same  material  used  in  the  house.  It  is  three  feet  high, 
and  panelled ; and  the  middle  of  the  panel-work  is  laid  up  with 
open  spaces  in  it,  thus  : a row  of  brick,  laid  one  above  the  other, 
then  an  open  space  alongside,  then  another  row  of  brick,  and 
another  open  space.  Above  this  is  another  tier  laid  solid,  and 
another  smaller  tier  of  open-work  still  above,  and  a layer  of  brick 


148 


ROOFING  MATERIAL. 


still  above  that.  On  four  sides,  the  first  foot  of  my  balustrade 
was  laid  up  with  brick,  owing  to  the  supposed  difficulty  of  cast- 
ing the  piers  and  panel- work  out  of  our  gravel  material.  But 
after  seeing  just  what  was  wanted,  I cast  the  other  four  sides  out 
of  this  gravel-wall  material,  just  as  well  as  to  have  used  brick, 
and  at  a great  saving  of  time  and  material.  And  there  it  stands, 
unprotected,  and  some  even  unplastered,  but  endures  all  expo- 
sures to  the  weather,  besides  being  full  of  corners,  as  solid  as  those 
made  of  brick — proving  that  our  concrete  will  stand  the  weather, 
wholly  unprotected,  even  by  a coat  of  mortar. 

At  first,  this  balustrade  was  constructed  solid,  but  looked  so 
heavy  for  the  top  of  a house,  that  I suggested  to  the  mason 
whether  brick  could  not  be  laid  up  open,  so  as  to  look  lighter, 
when  he  devised  its  present  form.  Still,  it  cost  me  considerable 
time  and  money.  Yet  a wooden  one  on  a stone  house  is  hardly 
appropriate. 

My  roof  proper  is  built  just  as  you  would  build  a floor,  of 
floor-timbers  and  boards,  using  matched  flooring,  every  way  as 
for  a floor,  except  pitching  the  water  into  six  centers,  one  under 
each  of  the  four  cisterns  already  mentioned,  and  two  connected 
by  pipes  with  those  two  cisterns  below,  before  described.  Thus 
much  of  roof ; next  of 


ROOFING  MATERIAL. 

Above  a year  ago,  I supposed  I had  discovered  a material 
exactly  and  admirably  adapted  to  roofing  purposes,  and  published 
it,  but  it  cracks , and  this  spoils  it.  Put  on  in  November,  it  was 
perfectly  tight  till  April,  during  which  time  I wrote  my  descrip- 
tion of  it ; but  the  changes  of  temperature  from  hot  days  to  frosty 
nights  caused  it  to  swell  and  shrink  so  as  to  crack  it.  But  even 
yet  I tried  and  hoped  to  patch  it  with  the  same  material,  but  was 
obliged  finally  to  give  it  up,  and  resort  to  tin — the  best  metal 
material  yet  generally  known  for  roofing.  My  material  was 
composed  of  one  part  Blake’s  black  Ohio  paint,  to  six  parts  fine 
beach  sand,  mixed  together  when  dry,  and  wet  with  raw  linseed 
oil  till  thin  enough  to  work  with  a trowel,  and  spread  on  to  a 
covering  of  cotton  cloth,  wrung  out  of  linseed  oil  and  spirits  of 
turpentine,  and  tacked  down.  Or  thus : sew  together  three 


GLASS  FOE  ROOFING. 


149 


breadths  of  cotton  cloth,  wet  it  in  spirits  of  turpentine  and  linseed 
oil,  wring  as  dry  as  you  well  can,  these  breadths  stretched  and 
tacked  down,  the  whole  covered  with  a compost  made  of  six  parts, 
by  measure,  of  white,  clean,  dry  beach  sand,  such  as  is  used  for 
scouring,  to  one  of  Blake’s  Ohio  paint,  mixed  together  while  dry, 
and  wet  with  linseed  oil,  and  worked  over  as  you  temper  mortar, 
till  thin  enough  to  spread  with  the  trowel ; spread  as  thin  as  you 
well  can,  say  one  sixth  to  one  fourth  of  an  inch,  and,  after  stand- 
ing a few  days  to  harden,  paint  with  Blake’s  Ohio  paint  and  lin- 
seed oil.  It  hardens  as  hard  as  stone,  will  grind  iron  or  steel  like 
a grindstone  or  mower’s  rifle,  and  is  impervious  to  water.  Yet 
it  cracks  when  exposed  to  sudden  changes  of  heat  and  cold. 
Still,  if  inside  of  those  cisterns  just  described,  or  even  in  their 
corners  and  joints,  I think  it  will  work  well ; still  have  not  tried 
it  there. 

I regret  that  I should  have  raised  public  expectation  only  to 
disappoint  it,  but  was  misled  by  its  not  cracking  in  cold  weather, 
but  cracking  by  sudden  changes  from  heat  to  cold.  The  proper- 
ties of  this  compost  are  certainly  most  remarkable,  and  I doubt 
not  its  only  fault  can  be  obviated ; still,  to  improve  on  it  is  out  of 
my  line. 

Mr.  Joseph  Hawley,  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  says  he  has  discovered 
a composition  of  which  water-lime  is  the  bond  ingredient,  which 
he  warrants.  Its  cost  is  about  five  cents  per  square  foot,  and  I 
know  Mr.  H.  to  be  an  honest  and  honorable  man.  His  material 
may  be  worth  the  trial.  I recommend  it  with  much  confidence, 
for  I know  the  man  himself  altogether  favorably,  yet  refer  you  to 
him  for  particulars. 

Some  roofing  material  which  can  be  spread  on,  yet  will  with- 
stand heat  and  frost,  is  indeed  most  desirable,  and  will  some  day 
be  discovered — for  Nature  provides  for  all  the  wants  of  all  her 
children — and  water-lime,  and  sand  are  obviously  the  mate- 
rial, if  they  could  be  kept  from  cracking,  which  is  doubtless 
possible. 

GLASS  FOR  ROOFING. 

But  I can  not  resist  the  growing  conviction  that  glass  is  Nature's 
roofing  and  flooring  material.  Impervious  to  water,  unaffected 


150 


GLASS  FOR  ROOFING. 


by  extremes  of  weather,  indestructible  by  time,  and  exactly 
adapted  to  light  the  house  from  the  roof,  why  is  it  not  as  well 
adapted  to  roofing  as  to  windows?  All  requisite  is  to  cast  it  so 
thick  as  to  prevent  hail  from  breaking  it,  and,  if  you  wish  to 
walk-  on  the  roof,  to  sustain  a person’s  weight.  Crystal-Palace 
glass  effects  this  end.  Common  green-house  glass  costs  only 
some  four  cents  per  foot,  and  can  be  ma*de  abundantly  thick  for 
from  six' to  eight  cents.  For  roofing  purposes  the  green-bottle 
glass,  or  any  other  of  poor  or  coarse  quality,  will  answer  just  as 
well,  and  a junk  bottle,  furnished  at  six  dollars  per  hundred,  would 
contain  material  enough,  I should  think,  for  half  a foot  square. 
The  stock  for  green  glass  costs  little,  being  composed  mainly  of 
sand,  everywhere  cheap  and  abundant,  and  saltpeter  and  ashes, 
two  other  cheap  ingredients,  so  that  the  material  for  glass  roofing 
need  cost  but  little,  and  its  casting  or  working  into  forms  adapted 
to  roofing  need  not  be  expensive,  for,  unlike  window-glass,  wrinkles 
and  spots  do  not  hurt  it.  I doubt  whether  to  make  Crystal- 
Palace  glass  costs  over  eight  or  ten  cents  per  square  foot.  A 
tin  roof  costs  eight  to  ten  cents  for  tin  and  laying,  and  two  cents 
for  the  boards  under  it — say  twelve  cents ; while  glass,  if  manu- 
ufactured  on  a large  scale,  would  probably  not  cost  more. 

As  to  putting  it  together,  I would  suggest  casting  it  in  plates 
as  wide  and  long  as  is  convenient,  and  the  longer  the  better,  and 
put  together  by  putty,  or  India  rubber,  or  some  other  elastic  sub- 
stance, pressure  on  which,  by  crowding  the  glass  hard,  will  keep 
out  water.  At  all  events,  they  can  be  easily  put  together  so  as 
to  shed  water  with  putty,  which  is  cheap  and  water-proof,  and 
well  adapted  to  this  end. 

But  again ; can  not  this  glass  be  cast  on  the  roof  by  having 
small  portable  furnaces,  so  that  they  can  be  stationed  on  the  roof, 
and  melt  and  run  your  sand,  saltpeter,  and  potash  on  the  spot, 
and  all  in  one  solid  sheet  1 I only  suggest.  To  this  end,  could 
not,  after  the  floor-timbers  are  placed,  a board  as  wide  as  they 
are  far  apart  be  nailed  along  between  them,  a coating  of  sand — 
that  used  for  molding — be  spread  over,  and  the  melted  glass  run 
on  this  sand,  and  the  boards  and  sand  then  taken  away  from 
below  1 Glass  can  be  melted  at  ordinary  red-heat,  by  a recent 
invention.  Can  not  some  ingenious  man  work  out  this  suggestion 


OCTAGONAL  SCHOOL-HOUSES. 


151 


into  some  practical  results  worth  a fortune  to  him  and  the  world  ? 
But,  at  least,  observe  these  two  facts,  that  glass  is  admirably 
adapted  to  roofing  purposes,  and  that  glass  material  is  almost  as 
cheap  as  dirt,  and  abundant  everywhere. 

The  inventor  just  mentioned  proposes  to  use  it  for  the  walls 
of  houses,  so  cheap  does  he  hope  to  make  it.  If  glass  can  be 
used  for  roofing,  it  could  be  run  in  all  sorts  of  forms  and  molds 
of  beauty,  interweaving,  as  in  carpets,  any  varieties  and  combi- 
nations of  beautiful  figures.  In  this  case  iron  should  be  used  in 
place  of  floor-timbers  as  rafters,  the  sun  and  light  kept  out,  or 
softened  by  paint,  and  all  kinds  of  colors  could  be  added ; thus 
rendering  floors  and  roofs  most  beautiful,  and  dispensing  with 
lath  and  plastering  overhead. 

THE  OCTAGON  FORM  AND  GRAVEL-WALL  APPLIED  TO  SCHOOL- 
HOUSES  AND  CHURCHES. 

The  school-house  is  the  first  corner-stone  of  our  nation’s  great- 
ness, the  next  being  the  ballot-box ; but  the  former  underlying 
and  guarding  the  latter.  All  my  neighbors  refused  to  locate  our 
district  school-house  on  their  lands,  while  I coveted  its  location 
on  mine.  It  teaches  reading  and  arithmetic,  and  these  start 
human  intellect  on  its  ascending  pathway,  to  be  carried  onward 
and  upward  inimitably. 

Then,  since  whatever  appertains  to  schooling  is  correspondingly 
important,  the  best  form  for  a school-room  becomes  a matter  of 
no  small  consequence.  And  here,  the  nearer  we  can  approach 
the  circular  form  the  better.  To  gather  around  a spherical  or 
elliptical  table,  occasions  more  harmony  and  agreeable  sensations 
than  around  a square  one.  To  have  a truly  agreeable  chit-chat, 
we  require  to  form  into  a circle.  Why  our  universal  use  of  “ the 
family  circle,”  “circle  around  the  fireside,”  and  the  like,  but 
that  this  circular  arrangement  of  the  parties  facilitates  that  mag- 
netic flux  and  reflux  of  emotion  which  creates  these  delights'? 
As  in  magnetic  and  electrical  experiments  we  must  complete  a 
circle , so,  that  several  minds  may  act  in  concert,  it  is  requisite 
that  they  form  around  and  face  a common  center.  The  more  so 
where,  as  in  school,  all  eyes  are  often  required  to  be  directed 
simultaneously  toward  the  same  object — the  teacher.  This  pur- 


152 


OCTAGONAL  SCHOOL-HOUSES. 


pose  the  octagon  form  serves  better  than  the  square,  and  is  prefer- 
able every  way — more  than  enough  so  to  build  the  extra  angles. 

This  form  will  also  give  the  teacher  a far  more  sightly  and  ad- 
vantageous stand-point.  Of  course,  to  be  heard  and  seen  well, 
he  requires  to  front  the  whole  school.  A desk  at  one  end  spoils 
that  end,  by  placing  all  its  scholars  actually  behind  the  teacher, 
while  those  at  his  right  and  left  on  the  sides  near  this  end  must 
look  at  his  sides , not  front,  while  those  at  the  opposite  end  are 
farther  off  than  if  the  house  were  octagonal. 


Fig.  28. 


Besides,  these  square  angles  break  the  sound,  and  cause  echoes 
far  more  than  octagonal  ones.  Many  other  like  advantages  ap- 


COMPLETE  VENTILATION. 


153 


pertain  to  the  octagonal  form  over  the  square,  but  these  should 
suffice  to  secure  its  universal  adoption,  wherever  a good  school- 
house  is  attempted.  Yet  we  leave  it  mainly  on  its  naked  merits, 
or  on  the  way  it  strikes  the  reader’s  obvious  common-sense  view 
of  this  important  matter.  Let  the  foregoing  engraving  speak 
to  the  eye , and  through  it  be  allowed  to  lay  its  appeal  to  the 
sound  judgment  of  those  who  would  put  their  children  into  a good 
school-house. 

Of  course,  since  the  cost  of  school-houses  consists  mainly  in 
walls,  roofs,  seats,  and  floors,  and  since  our  gravel- wall  greatly 
cheapens  walls,  it  must  cheapen  the  school-house  more,  relatively, 
than  other  houses — roof,  floor,  and  seats  being  the  same  by  this 
method  as  by  that.  But  its  light  is  far  more  advantageous. 
The  square  house  must,  of  course,  have  two  windows  on  a side, 
else  its  corners  will  be  dark — will  any  how  be  much  darker  than 
our  octagonal  corners — whereas  a window  to  each  octagon  side 
will  look  better  and  more  proportionate  outside,  and  be  far  better 
inside  than  a square  house  with  two  windows  per  side.  The  light 
will  then  come  in  at  the  back  and  over  the  shoulders  of  the 
scholars,  hurt  their  eyes  less,  shine  on  the  book  far  better,  be 
more  equally  distributed  through  the  corners,  and  be  exactly 
what  is  wanted  in  every  respect.  The  same  is  true  of  the  heat. 

The  room,  too,  will  be  more  compact,  the  scholars  more  equi- 
distant from  the  teacher,  not  some  too  far  off,  while  others  are 
too  close  by,  so  that  every  feature  of  this  octagonal  plan  recom- 
mends its  universal  adoption. 

Of  course  one  side  should  be  appropriated  to  entrance  and  the 
teacher’s  desk,  which  should  be  contiguous.  This  form  will  also 
enable  teacher  to  see  scholar  as  much  better  than  the  square,  as 
scholar  teacher,  and  allow  him  to  take  in  the  whole  school  at  one 
furtive  glance  better  than  he  could  do  in  a square  room. 

The  seats  should  all  face  inwardly,  and  rise  from  the  center 
toward  the  sides ; but  this  has  no  special  reference  to  our  octagon 
form. 

COMPLETE  VENTILATION. 

No  school-house  should  ever  be  erected  without  ample  pro- 
vision for  fresh  air — this  most  essential  human  requisition.  An 


154 


COMPLETE  VENTILATION. 


opening  to  let  it  in  from  below,  and  another  for  its  escape  at  the 
top,  are  indispensable  alike  to  the  child’s  health  of  body  and  vigor 
of  mind  ; for  foul  air  thickens  the  blood,  and  thereby  renders  in- 
tellect obtuse,  memory  confused,  and  the  feelings  blunt.  Better 
cut  short  their  supply  of  food  or  clothes  than  of  fresh  air.  Yet 
how  easy  its  supply — a few  dollars  at  most  securing  it  while  the 
house  stands — but  how  almost  universally  neglected ! And  how 
many  scores  of  thousands,  every  day,  and  all  over  our  country, 
are  breaking  down  their  constitutions  and  enfeebling  themselves 
for  life , in  mind  as  well  as  body,  just  for  lack  of  this  simple  con- 
trivance. 

To  warming  THE  feet  special  attention  should  also  be  paid. 
Cold  feet  occasion  colds,  headache,  and  mental  dullness,  besides 
deranging  the  circulation  permanently,  and  breeding  disease  most 
effectually.  If  they  can  be  kept  warm,  the  body  will  take  care 
of  itself.  Provide  for  this,  and  you  need  not  heat  the  room  any- 
thing like  as  hot  as  you  otherwise  must,  to  insure  comfort.  To 
do  this,  the  room  should  be  heated  by  a furnace  placed  below, 
into  which  admit  fresh  air,  and  from  which  have  a brick  flue  ex- 
tend around  the  house,  under  the  floor — not  very  expensive,  but 
very  comfortable. 

Parents,  on  your  love  of  your  dear  children  I ground  this  ap- 
peal. Perfect  your  school-houses.  No  longer  suffer  them 
completely  to  ruin  so  many  fine  children — some  by  breaking  down 
the  life-power,  and  leaving  them  sickly  and  inane  for  life,  and  so 
many  others  by  burying  them  in  the  very  dawnings  of  humanity. 
Inattention  here  is  child-murder;  for  in  almost  every  school- 
house  these  death-inducing  causes  are  silently,  insidiously,  but 
most  venomously  at  work,  dealing  out  disease  and  death  to  chil 
dren,  and  heart-breaking  agony  and  desolation  to  bereaved  parents. 
Yet  the  school-room  might  be  made  perfectly  healthy  to  both 
teacher  and  scholar.  Parents,  make  it  so.  Teachers,  urge  this 
point.  School-teaching,  in  and  of  itself  is  pre-eminently  healthy. 
Only  bad  school  houses  render  it  otherwise.  This  want  of  ven- 
tilation, and  unequal  temperature,  and  other  like  causes,  render 
it  unhealthy  to  both  you  and  the  scholar.  See  that  houses  are 
built  and  kept  right,  and  teaching  will  promote  your  own  and 
their  health,  whereas  now  it  makes  such  havoc  of  both.  To 


OCTAGONAL  CHURCHES. 


155 


CHURCHES 

The  octagonal  form  is  as  advantageous  as  to  school-houses,  and 
for  like  reasons.  To  impress  an  audience,  a speaker  requires 
that  they  be  gathered  all  around  him,  except  at  his  back,  where 
the  choir  should  be  located.  The  octagon  form  secures  this  end 
-perfectly.  The  square  form,  with  the  pulpit  at  one  end,  and  the 
house  much  longer  than  wide,  is  most  awkward  for  both  speaker 
and  hearer.  Some  are  too  far  off,  others  too  near.  Compactness 
and  equi-distance  facilitate  impressibility.  These  the  octagon 
form  promotes,  while  the  square  and  oblong  shapes  prevent,  the 
same  as  in  school-houses.  Let  the  principle  here  involved,  name- 
ly, that  an  audience  is  much  more  readily  impressed  or  affected 
if  seated  in  the  spherical  than  square  form,  and  square  than  ob- 
long, be  duly  appreciated,  for  its  bearing  is  cardinal  and  funda- 
mental. This  alone  should  secure  the  universal  adoption  of  the 
octagonal  form  for  churches. 

And  our  gravel- wall  is  just  the  material  out  of  which  to  build 
them  ; for  the  wall  is  one  of  the  chief  items  of  expense,  and  we 
have  seen  how  much  can  be  saved  on  that  score  by  using  our 
material  instead  of  brick,  especially  at  present  prices. 

One  window  on  a side  should  suffice,  and  made  the  larger  the 
more  light  is  wanted,  but  is  in  better  taste  than  two.  The  en- 
trance should  always  be  in  front  of  the  speaker,  so  that  the  whole 
congregation  need  not  have  their  attention  diverted  to  witness 
every  ingress  and  egress.  That  is,  the  entrance  should  be  at  the 
back  of  the  audience. 

The  octagonal  form  also  facilitates  the  congregation’s  seeing 
one  another , and  thereby  the  interchange  of  friendly  and  benig- 
nant feelings  toward  one  another  mark  this  point.  Seat  a congre- 
gation in  a long,  narrow  house,  with  the  pulpit  at  one  end.  Of 
course  the  faces  of  all  are  to  the  backs  of  all.  None  can  see  the 
faces  of  any,  except  when  beholder  or  beheld  turn  around. 
Hence,  but  little  interchange  of  good  feeling  through  the  counte- 
nance can  well  occur.  But  seat  them  in  the  octagonal  form,  the 
seats  all  partly  facing  all,  thus  allowing  all  to  see  each,  and  each 
all,  and  the  benign  smile  of  recognition  and  good  feeling  enkin- 
dled by  this  freedom  of  seeing  each  other,  and  expressed  in  the 


156 


OCTAGONAL  CHURCHES. 


countenance,  will  spread  from  “face  to  face,”  and  soul  to  soul. 
In  short,  what  a world  of  meaning  is  embodied  in  this  “ face  to 
/ace” — exactly  what  our  form  secures. 


Fig.  29.— OCTAGONAL  CHURCH. 


This  form  will  also  accommodate  those  who  attend  church 
“ for  looks”  or  to  “ see  and  be  seen.”  I once  asked  a lady  what 
were  her  reasons  for  attending  Grace  Church  ; “ Sympathy  of  doc- 
trines “ No,”  she  frankly  answered  ; “ to  tell  the  whole  truth, 
I chose  it  because  of  its  extra  gentility.  The  fashionables  all  go 
there,  and  of  course  I must  go  too.” 

Now,  ought  not  our  churches  to  be  built  so  as  to  serve  the  wants 
of  this  class  of  attendants  ? If  a genteel  \yoman  wants  to  exhibit 


GENERAL  BtJILDING  DIRECTIONS. 


157 


her  dress,  or  tinsels,  or  paddings,  why  do  let  her.  She  may 
thereby  be  brought  within  the  reach  of  good. 

Seriously,  is  not  our  form  of  house  and  arrangement  of  seats 
admirably  adapted  to  promote  the  ends  of  religious  meetings  ? 
Let  a congregation  worship  in  the  octagon,  and  then  in  the  square, 
and  they  will  feel  the  difference  most  delightfully  in  favor  of  the 
octagon. 

The  mere  arrangements  of  the  seats  we  have  not  studied  par- 
ticularly, because  the  architect  can  do  that  better  than  we,  because 
various  arrangements  of  seats  and  aisles  could  be  made  to  suit 
various  societies,  because  different  plots  of  ground  will  require 
different  entrances  and  arrangements  of  slips,  and  because  our 
form  allows  even  a greater  diversity  in  this  respect  than  the  rect- 
angle form. 

True,  in  a square  or  oblong  form  the  seats  can  be  so  arranged 
as  to  secure  this  facing  of  the  minister  and  one  another,  yet  not 
as  naturally,  whereas  it  can  not  be  made  as  effectually  to  secure 
compactness. 

51.  GENERAL  BUILDING  DIRECTIONS  AND  ADVICE. 

It  would  seem  proper  to  conclude  this  work  with  a few  general 
common-sense  directions  to  novitiates  in  building,  partly  by  way 
of  saving  them  from  learning  by  bitter  experience,  and  partly  to 
facilitate  economy  and  expedition. 

MATURE  YOUR  PLAN  WELL. 

Think  up,  beforehand,  just  what  you  want , in  order  to  provide 
for  it  at  the  right  stage  of  the  building.  Study  where  you  can 
crowd  in  this  little  convenience,  or  that  means  of  comfort,  and 
lay  out  your  shell  accordingly.  If  you  want  a dumb  waiter,  or 
cistern,  or  any  article  whatever,  consider  which,  what,  where,  and 
how,  in  season.  Few  houses  have  a dumbwaiter,  yet  every  two- 
story  house  should  have  one ; and  an  entry  is  a good  place  for 
one.  They  are  easily  rigged,  thus  : A good-sized  wheel,  one, 
two,  or  three  feet  over,  according  to  the  width  or  length  of  the 
waiter,  so  that  one  side  of  this  wheel  shall  take  the  rope  from  the 
center  of  the  dumb  waiter,  and  the  other  side  drop  the  weight 
attached  right  into  its  pocket — this  wheel,  rigged  to  run  on  four 


158 


GENERAL  BUILDING  DIRECTIONS. 


little  wheels,  such  as  are  often  used  for  grindstones,  and  the  waiter 
itself  made  by  erecting  four  corner  posts,  a slat  across  each  end 
at  every  shelf,  for  the  shelf-boards  to  rest  upon,  no  boards  at 
back  or  ends,  and  only  half-inch  shelving,  all  well  braced,  and 
rope  and  weight  finishes  it.  1 planned  my  own  traveling  closet 
long  after  I planned  my  house ; and  at  more  cost  and  less  com- 
pleteness than  if  I had  thought  of  it  seasonably.  Yet  far  better 
such  improvements  added  on  afterward  than  not  at  all.  Having 
matured  your  plan,  and  embraced  all  you  intend  or  can  afford — 

GET  ALL  READY. 

Work  done  at  a disadvantage  is  done  at  great  extra  cost.  All 
delays  are  very  expensive.  Anticipate  what  is  wanted,  and  have 
it  at  command.  To  wait  for  one  thing  will  often  stop  all  or 
most  of  the  work,  and  occasion  much  loss  of  time  and  temper. 

EMPLOY  GOOD  WORKMEN. 

One  really  good  hand  is  worth  several  poor  ones.  A poor  one 
or  two,  thrown  in  to  do  odds  and  ends,  may  do,  but  must  be 
trusted  with  nothing  on  which  any  thing  else  is  depending,  unless 
watched  at  every  stroke.  The  boss — for  every  thing  must  have 
its  head — should  at  least  possess  both  mind  and  knowledge  of  his 
business,  as  well  as  industry  and  integrity. 

Then  seek  to  promote  good  feeling  toward  yourself  and  each 
other,  and  especially  interest  them  in  your  work , as  if  it  were 
their  own.  But  send  away  the  disaffected  at  once.  Best  of  all — 

Keep  your  own  common  sense  ever  about  you,  and  sharp- 
ened up  for  any  emergency.  In  nothin?  do  men  fail  in  building 
as  much  as  in  this  commodity. 

May  this  book  aid  every  reader  in  either  creating  or  improv- 
ing A GOOD  HOME. 

Finally,  your  house  once  built,  consecrate  it  by  love  ; 
never  desecrate  it  by  discord.  Let  it  be  made  holy  and  sacred 
by  conjugal,  parental,  and  filial  affection.  And  in  this,  its  united 
head — the  father  and  mother — must  lead  off.  They  disaffected, 
all  will  dislike  all.  They  fond,  all  will  be  fond.  Show  me  diso- 
bedient, bad-tempered  children,  and  I will  show  you  discordant 
feelings,  if  not  heart-burnings  between  their  parents.  Husbands 


GENERAL  BUILDING  DIRECTIONS. 


159 


and  wives,  do  live  in  love — at  least  agree  to  disagree — or  live 
apart.  Your  house  is  holy ; do  not  defile  it.  Let  every  night’s 
rest,  every  gustatory  repast,  every  intellectual  and  moral  enter- 
tainment, and  every  other  pleasure  participated  in  by  the  family 
within  that  hallowed  home,  but  enhance  your  love  for  it  and  for 

EACH  OTHER. 

Scattering  Observations. 

These,  omitted  in  their  proper  places,  had  better  be  inserted 
here  than  omitted. 

The  Author’s  Front  Stairs. 

1.  In  the  drawings  in  the  book  his  front  stairs  are  drawn  at  the 
ice  and  green  houses,  so  as  to  leave  the  lower  as  the  main  entrance, 
whereas  in  the  upright  drawing  in  the  frontispiece  the  stairs  are 
drawn  at  the  front  door.  He  has  thought  best  to  change  them 
in  front,  because  none  will  naturally  come  up  these  stairs  except 
those  who  may  properly  enter  parlor  or  sitting-room.  Others  will 
naturally  pass  in  behind,  and  enter  under  these  stairs  into  the 
lower  or  through  entry. 

This  octagon  form  can  be  adopted  for  brick  or  frame  buildings 
about  as  well  as  in  the  gravel  wall.  An  octagon  angle  is  not 
quite  as  easily  framed  as  a square,  yet  is  not  difficult ; and  when 
brick  are  used,  they  can  be  either  clipped,  or  laid  up  with  their 
corners  projecting,  thus  furnishing  an  ornamental  cornice. 

Exclude  Vermin. 

2.  Be  sure  to  stop  out  all  rats  and  mice  in  the  start ; first,  by 
making  a projection  of  some  inches,  even  with  or  just  below  the 
level  of  the  cellar-floor.  They  absolutely  must  have  holes  for 
nests.1  They  rarely  dig  into  the  middle,  but  always  at  the 
sides  of  rooms,  or  down  by  the  wall.  Now,  if  they  dig  an  inch 
or  two  and  find  a piece  of  stone  or  brick  they  give  up,  and  find- 
ing no  home  go  elsewhere.  To  stop  them  out  of  the  house,  fill 
in  all  your  walls  clear  up  to  the  top  of  the  floor- timbers,  or  to  the 
floor  above,  and  also,  after  mop  or  base-boards  are  nailed  on,  and 
before  lathing,  fill  in  between  these  boards,  or  at  the  bottom  of 
all  walls,  with  stone  or  mortar,  or  our  concrete — only  a few 
minutes’  work,  yet  it  forecloses  all  thoroughfares  ; so  that  if  one 
gets  in,  he  can  not  get  round  the  house  to  breed  or  feed. 


160 


SECTION  V. 

OTHER  PLANS  FOR  PARTITIONING  AN  OCTAGON  HOUSE, 
BARNS,  ETC. 

52.  A SUPERIOR  PLAN  FOR  A GOOD-SIZED  HOUSE. 

After  our  last  sheet  of  proof,  as  we  thought,  had  been  read 
and  returned,  our  engraver,  Mr.  Howland,  who  has  quite  an  archi- 
tectural taste  and  talent,  and  to  whom  we  refer  our  readers  for  any 
additional  drawings,  plans,  etc.,  suggested  another  mode  of  parti- 
tioning oft’  an  octagon  house ; and  feeling  that  we  have  not  given 
a sufficient  number  of  plans,  we  append  another  section.  The 
following  diagram  represents  a house  so  concordant  with  both  the 
author’s  taste  and  the  octagonal  mode  of  building,  that  he  not  only 
appends  it,  but,  for  an  ordinary  sized  house,  recommends  it  as 
superior  to  any  other  he  has  seen,  for  simplicity,  convenience,  and 
practical  utility. 

It  gives  four  square  rooms  to  each  story,  a front  and  back 
entry,  central  stairway,  two  bed-rooms,  eight  closets,  and  a dumb- 
waiter, as  well  as  chimneys.  The  four  rooms  can  be  used  as  fol- 
lows, or  in  any  other  way  thought  best.  F,  E,  front,  and  B,  E, 
back  entrance,  P,  parlor,  D,  dining-room,  K,  kitchen,  B,  bed-room, 
S,  stairway,  ascending  and  descending;  A,  dumb  waiter ; b,  small 
bed-room,  c,  closets,  and  p,  pantries. 

Now  we  submit  to  every  judge  of  a first  best  suite  of  family 
rooms,  whether  this  is  not  complete  and  perfect.  It  retains  all 
the  peculiarities  and  advantages  of  our  octagon  style,  namely, 
compactness  and  contiguity  of  rooms,  central  stairway,  closets, 
and  small  bed-rooms.  Let  us  examine  them. 

Suppose  the  front  door  to  be  on  the  southwest  side,  and  back 
entrance  northeast — or  the  reverse  will  do  about  equally  well,  as 


A SUPERIOR  PLAN  FOR  A GOOD-SIZED  HOUSE. 


161 


will  also  a southeast  front  and  northwest  back  entry,  or  a south- 
east front  and  southwest  back  entrance,  if  this  is  handiest  to  the 
back  buildings,  or  a northwest  front  and  southeast  back  entrance, 
or  a southeast  front  and  northwest  back  entrance,  or  any  other 
arrangement  of  front  and  back  entrances  which  will  best  serve 
your  front  road  or  street  and  back  buildings.  Yet  it  is  prefer- 
able that  they  be  between  the  four  cardinal  points  of  compass,  so  as 
to  bring  the  four  main  rooms  due  east,  west,  north,  and  south.  Our 
parlor  will  now  front  toward  sunset,  which  is  peculiarly  appro- 
priate, since  we  use  this  room  mostly  afternoons  and  evenings ; 
and  our  kitchen  toward  sunrise,  also  peculiarly  appropriate ; our 
dining-room  on  the  south  side,  to  enjoy  all  there  is  of  spring,  win- 
ter, and  fall  mid-day  sun,  while  the  bed-room  faces  north,  and  its 
aspect  is  of  little  account. 

Fig.  30. 


THH  BEST  PLAN  YBT. 


162 


A SUPERIOR  PLAN  FOR  A GOOD-SIZED  HOUSE. 


Another  point  worthy  of  remark  is,  that  the  dining-room  is  the 
great  central  living  and  congregating  room  of  the  whole  family, 
and  therefore  should  be  the  most  pleasant  room  as  to  sun  and  air 
in  the  house.  And  I think  a south  aspect  to  be  the  most  pleasant, 
because  during  fall,  winter,  and  spring,  sun  is  a far  greater  luxury 
than  shade,  and  a southern  aspect  more  inviting  than  any  other. 
Even  in  midsummer  it  is  preferable,  for  in  sultry  weather  the 
wind  is  usually  in  the  south,  so  that  at  those  times  when  the  in- 
tense heat  renders  a breeze  to  cool  your  room  most  desirable,  you 
can  have  it ; whereas,  on  the  north  side,  you  can  get  only  a 
northerly  breeze,  which  you  rarely  need,  because  when  the  wind 
is  northwardly  it  is  cool  enough  without  any.  Most  northerly 
winds  are  so  cool  as  to  require  their  exclusion  instead  of  invita- 
tion. Of  a very  hot  day  it  is  but  little  hotter  on  the  south  than 
north  side,  while  the  south  breeze,  if  breeze  there  is  at  all,  which 
always  accompanies  extreme  heat,  more  than  counterbalances 
this  excess  of  heat.  Moonlight  evenings  a southern  or  south- 
western aspect  is  better  than  any  other,  and  hence  a southern  or 
south-western  bed-room  is  better  than  any  other  aspect.  At  all 
events,  the  aspect  of  all  these  rooms  is  peculiarly  appropriate  to 
the  use  of  each.  Yet,  since  each  is  alike,  different  builders  can 
make  different  uses  of  each  according  to  their  respective  wants, 
fancies,  grounds,  etc.,  as  may  best  suit  themselves.  Obviously, 
however,  the  parlor  should  be  on  one  side  of  the  front  entry  and 
the  dining-room  on  the  other,  while  the  kitchen  should  join  the 
back  entry. 

But  the  back  entry  could  be  on  the  lower  right-hand  side,  or 
between  the  dining-room  and  kitchen,  quite  as  well  as  between 
kitchen  and  bed-room — would  probably  be  even  more  convenient, 
for  we  rarely  need  to  go  from  entry  into  bed-room,  yet  often  from 
entry  into  both  kitchen  and  dining-room.  And,  doubtless,  in  most 
cases,  the  out-buildings  can  be  so  arranged  as  to  have  the  front 
entrance  between  parlor  and  dining-room,  and  back  entrance  be- 
tween dining-room  and  kitchen,  or,  relatively,  where  th§  pantry  is 
now  placed. 

Still,  while  this  would  be  a better  location  for  the  entry,  it 
would  not  be  as  good  for  pantry , which  should,  of  right,  be  between 
kitchen  and  dining-room,  so  that  you  can  pass  from  either  into 


THE  MAIN  STORY. 


163 


this  pantry  with  and  for  things,  and  then  through  into  the  other. 
This  location  of  pantry  between  kitchen  and  dining-room  is  really 
admirable — the  very  handiest  place  possible. 

Two  small  closets  could  and  should  be  partitioned  off  from  its 
two  acute  angles,  the  one  opening  into  the  dining-room  for  dishes, 
castors,  and  other  table  utensils,  and  perhaps  table-cloths,  pies, 
etc.,  and  the  other  into  the  kitchen,  in  which  to  set  away  kitchen 
things,  44  cold  victuals,”  and  the  like,  for  which  its  being  dark 
will  make  it  all  the  better,  by  excluding  flies.  At  all  events 
they  will  be  exceedingly  convenient. 

A triangular  dumb-waiter,  A,  might  well  be  located  in  its  right 
or  inner  angle,  having  three  openings,  one  into  kitchen,  the  other 
into  dining-room,  and  the  other  into  the  pantry,  so  as  to  serve 
each  room — a complete  place  for  this  essential  requisite  to  every 
complete  house.  It  would  bring  things  up  and  down  into  both 
chamber  and  cellar,  and  save  a world  of  weary  steps.  If  this 
traveling  closet  is  not  put  here,  the  doors  from  kitchen  and  dining- 
room should  be  put  close  into  the  inner  corner ; but  if  placed  here 
they  should  be  put  close  to  it. 

Six  other  closets  are  also  provided  for  by  our  plan : two  in  the 
angles  of  each  entry,  and  two  more  in  those  of  the  small  bed- 
room. They  can  be  made  larger  or  smaller  at  pleasure,  to  open 
into  whichever  room  is  deemed  best,  and  to  run  at  right 
angles  to  either  wall,  but  I should  prefer  to  have  them  square 
with  the  outside  wall,  excepting  those  of  the  bed-room,  which  may 
square  with  the  cross-walls,  so  as  to  give  the  more  room  for  the 
bed.  As  we  hardly  need  a closet  to  the  parlor,  we  will  have  the 
one  at  the  left  of  the  front  entrance  open  into  the  entry,  and  ap- 
propriated to  overcoats,  hats,  umbrellas,  etc.,  while  a hat-stand 
placed  at  the  inner  angle  of  this  entrance  would  receive  those 
in  every-day  use. 

The  other  one  should  open  into  the  dining-room,  where  it 
would  do  admirable  service.  Another  naturally  opens  from  the 
left-hand  angle  of  the  back  entry  into  the  kitchen,  and  would 
serve  for  tins,  kitchen  utensils,  etc.,  while  the  one  at  the  right 
hand  can  be  made  to  open  into  either  the  large  bed-room  or 
entry.  But  this  large  bed-room  has  another  on  its  other  side,  so 
that  this  might  be  used  for  a wash-closet,  having  a pump  con- 


164  A SUPERIOR  PLAN  FOR  AN  OCTAGON  HOUSE. 


nected  with  a cistern  below ; and  still  another  angle  in  the  left- 
hand  corner  of  this  small  bed-room  gives  another  closet  to  either 
parlor  or  bed-room ; yet,  as  closets  to  parlors  are  considered  out 
of  taste — though  not  by  me — it  can  connect  with  the  bed -room, 
where  it  would  probably  be  needed  even  more  than  in  the  parlor. 
This  abundant  supply  of  closets  and  small  rooms  furnished  by 
the  octagon  plan  will  perfectly  enamor  every  one  who  experi- 
ences its  luxurious  convenience.43’ 44  People  do  without  them 
only  because  they  have  so  few  of  them  as  not  to  know  their 
value.  Description,  however  vivid,  can  not  do  justice  to  their 
utility.  Only  experience,  both  without  and  with,  can  adequately 
impress  their  usefulness.  This  feature  alone  of  the  octagonal 
plan  should  and  will  secure  its  general  adoption. 

Small  rooms,  too,  are  a very  great  convenience.  They  serve 
some  purposes  even  better  than  large  ones.  Every  house,  to 
be  any  way  complete,  should  have  a gradation  of  rooms  from 
large  down  to  small.  This  will  render  a given  amount  of  room 
far  more  available  and  serviceable  than  if  all  the  rooms,  as  is 
usual  in  double  houses,  are  about  equal  in  size.38 

Observe,  also,  how  much  shorter  the  passage  from  room  to 
room  than  in  the  usual  double  house,  having  a through  entry.38 

Thus  you  pass  from  parlor  to  kitchen  by  only  passing  through 
one  ten-foot  stairway,  or  across  the  narrow  end  of  the  dining- 
room, and  from  parlor  to  bed-room,  and  dining-room  to  kitch- 
en, even  easier  than  if  side  by  side.  You  go  around  or  across 
the  stairway,  and  from  room  to  room,  or  to  and  from  each  room 
above  or  below  with  at  least  one  quarter  the  steps  required  for 
like  passages  in  ordinary  double  houses,  as  shown  in  fig.  16.38 
See,  too,  how  little  room,  comparatively,  is  consumed  by  entries, 
yet  how  completely  every  end  of  an  entry  is  subserved ! 

Let  us  next  inquire  how  much  room  this  plan  will  give  us,N 
both  absolutely  and  comparatively.  If  your  sides  are  fifteen  feet, 
each  large  room  is  15  x 12— 176 -r- 9=  18|  yards,  minus  those 
small  comer  clips,  which  do  not  lessen  the  real  working  size  of 
the  room  at  all,  as  seen  in  fig.  11  and  its  explanation.35  The 
stairway  should  be  ten  feet  square,  yet  one  door,  probably  that 
out  of  the  bed-room  into  the  stairway,  may  have  to  be  sacrificed, 
unless  the  stairs  pass  from  one  corner  through  the  center  across 


THE  MAIN  STORY. 


165 


diagonally,  or  the  longest  way,  and  then  turn  an  acute  angle. 
But  of  this  anon.  This  square  can  be  made  larger  or  smaller  at 
pleasure,  but  should  not  be  so  large  but  that  the  doors  will  come 
in  between  the  corners  of  the  stairway  and  those  triangles.  Ten 
feet  square  is  the  least  we  can  well  have  it,  and  eleven  or  twelve 
will  be  better ; but  twelve  will  be  ample  for  as  large  a house  as 
may  be  needed. 

It  might  be  well  to  connect  the  small  bed-room  with  both  the 
parlor  and  large  bed-room,  so  that  it  can  be  used  with  either. 

This  small  bed-room  off  the  parlor  will  be  very  genteel 
and  handy  into  which  to  introduce  visitors  for  the  night.  Yet 
as  the  large  bed-room  will  be  the  dormitory  of  the  master  and 
mistress  of  the  family,  it  will  also  be  convenient  for  a children’s 
sleeping- room.  It  is  at  least  one  of  the  handiest  little  rooms 
imaginable.  Its  size  will  depend  on  that  of  the  house  and  closets. 
In  a 15  feet  sided  octagon  it  would  be  7 by  7,  besides  those  cor- 
ners cut  off  by  the  closets.  In  this  case  the  bed  must  stand 
against  the  window,  and  the  closet-door  open  into  the  closet,  un- 
less it  is  connected  with  the  parlor.  Yet  if  the  closets  are  small, 
and  the  wall  is  made  as  drawn,  it  can  stand  against  the  parlor- 
door  when  used  with  the  large  bed-room,  but  removed  against 
the  bed-room  door  when  used  in  connection  with  the  parlor.  But 
if  the  sides  are  18  feet,  equal  to  a 36  feet  square  house,  or  one 
30  by  42,  it  will  give  us  a nine  feet  square  room,  besides  those 
angles  at  the  closets,  together  with  good-sized  closets,  in  which 
case  a bed  can  be  placed  several  ways.  In  this  case,  the  four 
large  rooms  will  measure  18  by  16,  less  width  of  wall,  which 
will  come  right  for  carpet,  of  which  each  room  will  hold  30  yards, 
and  be  of  full  size  for  comfort  and  use.  At  the  doors  a great 
deal  of  wear  will  occur,  which  those  corners  of  the  carpet  turned 
over  or  under,  or  cut  off  and  used  as  a rug,  will  just  serve  as  a 
resupply. 

Box-boards,  as  described  for  making  the  outside  wall,14  come 
16  feet,  and  therefore  this  will  be  a convenient  size  for  the 
house.  This  will  make  the  rooms,  walls,  and  boards  deducted, 
about  five  yards  wide,  another  convenient  size  for  carpets. 

But  a house  20  feet  sides  will  cost  no  more  for  doors  and  win- 
dows, and  but  the  merest  trifle  more  for  floors,  partitions,  base- 


166  A SUPERIOR  PLAN  FOR  A GOOD-SIZED  HOUSE. 


boards,  lath,  and  plastering,  etc.,28  and  will  a hundred-fold 
more  than  repay  in  usefulness  this  trifling  extra  cost  in  money. 
The  outside  box-boards  could  then  be  spliced  easily  by  cutting 
one  board  into  four  pieces,  and  splicing  by  simply  nailing  on  a 
batting  across  the  place  of  junction,  extending  a foot  or  more 
on  each  side,  and  consisting  of  any  piece  or  pieces  of  board,  of 
any  shape  and  length  at  hand.  This  will  take  twenty  boards  to 
form  one  tier  of  boxes.  Or  the  walls  could  be  made  21  feet  just 
as  well,  by  cutting  two  five  and  two  three-feet  pieces  from  a 16 
feet  board,  the  five  feet  to  splice  on  the  outside,  and  the  three 
feet  on  the  inside  box-board.  This  splicing  a board  by  nailing  a 
piece  on  to  both,  is  the  work  of  only  a minute.  This  will  render 
your  rooms  21  x 18  = 378  square  feet  — 9 = 42  yards — large 
fine  rooms,  and  make  a fine-looking  house.  Yet  I do  not  see 
how  it  could  cost  over  $50  to  $75  more  than  one  of  15  feet 
sides.28  And  since  the  room  occupied  by  entry  and  stairway  is 
the  same  in  all  three,  all  this  increase  of  room  will  be  in  the  rooms . 

Let  us  see  how  much  room  it  will  give  compared  with  a square 
house  of  like  size.  A house  30  feet  square,  with  a through  entry 
of  eight  feet,  gives  us  900  square  feet  in  the  house,  less  240  in 
the  entry,  or  only  660  in  the  rooms,  and  only  two  rooms  on  a 
floor,  unless  the  entry  is  in  the  middle,  which  gives  us  only  11 
feet  wide  rooms,  or  11  by  15,  or  165  in  each,  -f-  9—  18  square 
yards.  But  by  the  octagon  form  we  have  only  10  X 10=  100 
sq.  ft.  stairway,  and  8 x 6 X 2 = 96  in  the  entries,  = 196  — 9=21 
square  yards,  and  15  x 12^  =187  x 4 = 748  + 4 half  squares,  or  2 
squares  of  10  feet  in  the  triangles  = 200  + 748  + 196  = 1,144,  or 
about  a quarter  gain  in  the  whole  house,  and  one  third  more  room 
within  the  rooms,  and  that  three  times  better  adapted  to  family 
purposes — this  complete,  that  awkward  ;38  this  compact,  that 
scattered  ;38  this  cut  up  into  four  good-sized  rooms,  all  adjoin- 
ing each  other — a parlor,  dining-room,  kitchen,  two  bed-rooms, 
and  eight  closets,  besides  front  and  back  entry,  and  stairway,  and 
a dumb  waiter — that  only  illy-contrived,  long,  and  narrow  parlor, 
bed-room,  kitchen,  and  dining-room,  separated  by  a through  entry, 
the  stairs  unhandy  to  at  least  two  of  the  rooms,  and  not  one 
place  for  a closet  (see  fig.  16),  nor  any  place  for  chimney,  unless 
it  is  taken  right  out  of  whole  cloth ; whereas  ours  takes  up  no 


COMPARISON  OF  THE  TWO  PLANS. 


167 


room  at  all  which  could  or  would  be  appropriated  to  any  other 
earthly  use,  but  only  taking  a small  unused  corner  off  from  our 
broad  stairs,  and  a capital  place  for  a dumb-waiter  besides.  See 
how  many  ends  ours  subserves,  and  how  few  yours. 

But  if  your  square-angled  house  is  oblong,  say  22  x 38,  the 
matter  is  much  worse,  by  taking  more  room  into  the  entry,  and 
giving  only  two  rooms,  14  x 19,  or  only  a parlor  and  back  par- 
lor, and  obliging  you  to  build  another  house  outback  for  kitchen, 
pantry,  and  other  such  uses.  Is  not  our  plan  incomparably  the 
superior,  in  every  possible  aspect1?  That  gives  you  only  532 
square  feet  within  the  rooms  to  our  944,  or 


948^_ii=86_1_i2_^6 
532  48  4 


-HL= 


as  large  again , all  but  l of  one. 

But  if  our  sides  are  21  feet,  our  room  inside  is  21  x 18 --=378  x 
4 + 14  x.  14  x 2 + 12  X 12=2,048,*  and  our  net  room  within 
the  rooms,  12  x 12  stairway  +8X8x2  entries  272=1,776, 
while  the  net  room  of  a square  house  of  the  same  size  would 
be  only  42  x 842=1,764 — 8 x 42=1,426,  which  reduced  by 
division 


1,766_12=148_6=23_6= 


1,428 


119 


19 


almost  one  fourth  the  most  available  room  in  our  octagon  house, 
and  that  more  than  one  fourth  the  more  available,  or  a difference 
of  more  than  half  in  favor  of  the  octagon.  If  the  right- angle 
house  is  oblong,  say  34  x 50,  the  difference  will  be  still  greater, 
or  1,700  square  feet — 50  x 8=400  in  the  entry,  if  it  runs  the 
long  way  of  the  house,  or  1,300,  but  if  the  short  way,  256  or  1,444 
net  room  to  our  1,776  ; and  yours  only  5 rooms,  all  told,  but  ours 
18 ! besides  providing  for  chimneys,  which  the  other  plan  does 
not.  By  that  plan  you  must  separate  kitchen  from  dining-room, 
or  else  dining-room  from  parlor,  by  your  through  entry ; whereas 
by  our  plan,  both  kitchen  and  parlor  join  dining-room — an  ar- 
rangement the  superb  convenience  of  which  we  respectfully  yet 
triumphantly  submit  to  every  practical  housekeeper  and  common- 
sense  observer. 


* As  our  figure  is  a little  more  than  14  feet  to  the  inch,  while  we  meas- 
ure it  as  just  14,  we  shall  get  a little  more  room  than  is  here  estimated. 


168  A SUPERIOR  PLAN  FOR  A GOOD-SIZED  HOUSE. 


Now  here  are  two  good-sized  country  houses,  one  on  the  old, 
the  other  on  the  new  plan.  To  say  that  the  new  is  as  good 
again  as  the  old  is  far  within  bounds.  It  might  cost  a hundred 
dollars  the  most,  because  of  the  greater  number  of  inside  walls,  an 
increase,  however,  utterly  insignificant,  compared  with  its  increased 
utility  and  beauty.  The  number  of  windows  would  be  the  same, 
twelve  in  each,  of  doors  the  most  in  ours,  the  entry  doors  the  same 
in  both,  but  ours  gives  two  the  most  rooms,  and  four  extra  doors 
into  the  stairway,  besides  a door  to  each  closet. 

53.  THE  CELLAR  STORY. 

But  let  us  descend  into  the  ground  story  to  see  what  chances 
for  conveniences  we  find  there.  We  will  have  the  main  story 
two  or  three  feet  above  the  ground,  and  enter  the  cellar  story 
under  the  stairs  which  go  up  to  the  main  story,  or  at  any  other 
place  deemed  best;  will  build  eight  square  pillars  in  this  cellar, 
one  under  each  corner  of  the  stairway,  and  one  under  each  inner 
angle  of  those  four  triangles,  out  of  our  concrete,  making  the  box 
in  which  to  cast  them  by  nailing  together  at  their  edges  four 
boards  as  long  as  the  story  is  high,  and  as  wide  as  we  wish  the 
pillars  large,  say  a foot  or  16  inches.  This  gives  eight  solid  rest- 
ing-points, and  if  preferred  you  can  now  make  walls,  as  drawn 
in  the  accompanying  figure,  or  any  others  liked  better,  or  none 
at  all.  (See  engraving  on  next  page.) 

Yet  there  should  be  a furnace  at /,  to  heat  dining-room  and  par- 
lor— the  kitchen  being  heated  by  its  own  cooking  fire — while  the 
bed-rooms  will  need  none,  yet  can  also  be  heated. 

A kitchen  below,  located  as  marked  in  our  engraving,  in  which 
to  do  up  the  rough  and  bad  smelling  work  of  the  family,  will  be 
desirable,  and  can  be  ventilated  through  the  corner  of  the  stair- 
way between  dining-room  and  kitchen. 

By  the  side  of  this  work-kitchen  or  wash-room  and  ice- room 
near  the  pantry  is  an  excellent  place  for  a milk-room,  which  is 
all  the  more  convenient  on  account  of  the  dumb-waiter  coming  into 
it,  to  transport  milk  and  other  things  up  and  down. 

Adjoining  this  wash-room  should  be  a cistern  to  receive  the 
rain-water  from  the  roofv45  This  can  be  located  at  the  right 
of  the  back  entry,  and  will  then,  by  means  of  a pump,  furnish 


A SUPERIOR  PLAN  FOR  ANY-SIZED  HOUSE. 


169 


Fig.  81. 


water  to  the  bed-rooms  above — the  closet  located  in  the  angle 
cut  off  from  the  back  entry  above — a better  use  of  it  perhaps 
than  that  for  boots,  shoes,  and  tools  above  noticed,  for  these  wash- 
closets,  adjoining  bed-rooms,  are  most  comfortable  and  luxurious 
indeed  ; or  it  can  be  placed  at  the  left,  which  will  be  under  the 
kitchen,  and  adjoining  the  work- kitchen — also  very  handy — or  in 
any  other  place  chosen,  yet  I think  the  latter  the  best,  especially 
since  lead  pipe  can  conduct  the  water  from  this  cistern,  wherever 
located,  into  the  bed-room  closet  just  mentioned. 

A tool-closet  for  spades,  shovels,  hoes,  etc.,  will  be  handy 
either  in  this  cellar,  near  the  back  entrance,  or  in  the  barn ; and 
if  in  this  cellar,  on  the  right  as  you  enter  is  a good  place. 

The  adjoining  space,  W,  will  make  an  excellent  place  for  wood, 


170 


CELLAR  STORY. 


which  would  naturally  come  in  at  the  back-door,  and  will  then 
be  near  both  the  furnace  below  and  the  work-kitchen  as  well  as 
the  foot  _of  the  stairs  leading  above,  which,  obviously,  should 
start  near  F,  because  you  will  need  in  descending  to  land  near 
your  work-kitchen  ten  times  as  often  as  anywhere  else,  and  in 
ascending  to  land  at  the  kitchen  above.  And  then,  too,  if  we 
must  sacrifice  or  discommode  any  room  above  let  it  be  the  bed- 
room, because  we  need  to  go  from  it  up  and  down  less  than  from 
any  other  room,  but  most  from  kitchen.  The  foot  of  these  stairs 
will  also  be  near  the  dumb-waiter — another  fine  arrangement. 
They  will  also  be  in  the  large  square  below,  and  therefore  handy 
to  all  the  cellar  rooms.  The  balance  of  the  rooms  can  be  par- 
titioned off  or  not,  and  used  as  preferred.  There  yet  remain  five 
unappropriated  windows,  two  south,  two  west,  and  one  north- 
west. Dispose  of  them  to  your  liking.  One  of  them  would 
furnish  a good  place  for  an  ice-house.  One  of  those  to  the  north, 
already  appropriated  to  wood,  will  make  a good  one,  the  wood 
being  shifted  to  some  other,  because  farthest  from  furnace,  yet 
would  be  under  sleeping-room,  which  is  bad,  while  that  to  the 
south,  adjoining  milk- room,  would  be  handiest,  as  cooling  milk- 
room  below  and  pantry  above ; and  if  rightly  made,42  neither 
furnace  nor  southern  aspect  will  seriously  affect  it.  It  should 
be  at  least  15x13,  though  the  larger  the  better,  and  might 
occupy  the  whole  space  between  milk-room  and  entry,  and  be 
filled  at  window  or  entry.  Its  being  under  an  upper  room  will 
not  hurt  but  rather  benefit  the  room  above,  unless  it  be  a bed- 
room,33 

We  mentioned  a place  for  wpod,  not  because  best  for  heating 
houses,  but  because  generally  used  in  the  country,  yet  decidedly 
prefer  coal  as  handier,  for  a fire  once  kindled  lasts  all  day,  is 
several  times  cheaper,  costing  less  than  even  the  mere  cutting 
and  hauling  of  wood,  gives  a better  because  more  uniform  heat, 
and  is  as  healthy,  probably  more  so,  because  it  keeps  a steady 
heat,  whereas  that  of  wood  is  fitful ; and  the  gas  of  wood  is 
quite  as  deleterious  and  likely  to  escape  as  of  coal.  Yet  when 
that  invention,  already  barely  mentioned,  which  converts  wood- 
gas  into  lighting-gas,  so  that  we  can  light  our  houses  with  the 
same  wood  used  to  heat  them,  wood  may  be  cheapest.  Indeed, 


A SUPERIOR  PLAN  FOR  ANY-SIZED  HOUSE. 


171 


since  a cord  of  wood  is  said  to  furnish  ten  times  more  light  than 
a ton  of  coal,  we  could  burn  our  surplus  gas  early  in  the  daytime 
for  heat. 


54.  Stairs. 

Starting  our  flight  of  stairs  so  as  to  land  at  the  door  which 
passes  from  stairway  to  dining-room,  varying  our  starting-point 
as  our  height  of  cellar  may  require,  we  turn  on  a broad  stair 
to  the  left,  leaving  room  for  the  parlor  door,  and  turn  at  every 
corner  on  a broad  stair,  as  often  as  necessary.  If  our  stairway 
is  ten  feet  square,  and  our  stairs  are  three  feet  wide,  we  shall  have 
a run  of  four  feet  at  each  turn,  which  will  carry  us  fairly  above 
the  bed-room  door  by  the  time  we  reach  it — it  being  placed  in 
the  corner  next  to  the  kitchen,  and  the  kitchen  door  in  the  corner 
next  to  the  bed-room. 

In  a 15  feet  octagon  this  story  should  be  about  10  feet  high, 
and  the  stairway  10  feet  square,  which,  if  our  stairs  are  three  feet 
— large  enough  for  this  sized  house — will  give  us  a four  feet  run, 
and  require  us  to  turn  three  times.  If  our  rise  and  run  are  equal, 
and  we  crowd  our  parlor  passage-way  into  two  feet,  we  shall 
have  a two  feet  landing-place  at  the  top  of  the  stairs.  This  is 
rather  narrow,  and  our  stairs  are  too  steep,  yet  it  is  a small  house, 
Still,  either  a narrower  stairs,  or  a 11  feet  stairway,  or  lower 
ceiling,  will  give  us  an  ample  broad  stair  above,  and  an  easy  rise 
compared  with  our  run.  But  in  an  18  or  21  feet  sides,  our  stair- 
way may  be  12,  and  stairs  Sl2  feet,  which  will  give  a run  of  five 
feet  and  rise  of  four  between  each  broad  stair,  which  is  an  easy 
rise  for  our  run.  If  our  walls  are  12  feet  high,  which  they  should 
be  to  look  and  be  well,27’ 28  we  shall  have  to  turn  on  only  two  broad 
stairs,  and  will  land  over  the  bed-room  door.  Circular  stairs 
will  get  us  up  sooner,  yet  are  much  more  costly,  and  not  as 
handy,  yet  look  well.  This  gives  us  a good  stairway,  and  per- 
fect access  to  and  from  every  room  above  and  below.  Our  fur- 
nace-chimney will,  however,  interfere  a little  with  our  parlor  door, 
unless — which  is  possible,  yet  have  it  clear  the  stairs — we  place 
it  a foot  from  the  corner.  We  then  and  soon  enough  turn  to 
the  left  into  the  east  chamber  room  above,  on  the  north  side, 
marked  1,  will  continue  this  same  platform  right  on  around  the 


172 


A SUPERIOR  PLAN  FOR  ANY- SIZED  HOUSE. 


width  of  the  stairs,  enter  from  it  into  every  room  as  we  pass, 
clear  round  to  room  marked  2,  and,  leaving  barely  room  enough 
to  pass  into  2,  start  our  stairs  for  the  cupola  in  a 15  or  16  feet 
octagon — for  it  will  not  bear  a third  story — which  can  be  made 
both  narrow  and  steep  enough  to  give  sufficient  head  room  to 
clear  the  main  flight.  But  in  an  18,  20,  21,  or  larger  sided  octa- 
gon, and  a 12  feet  stairway,  we  shall  need  a third  story  to  make 
the  house  look  well,  and,  having  a five-feet  run,  can  get  rise 
enough  to  clear  our  required  head  room.  Like  remarks  will 
apply  to  the  stairs  from  the  third  story  to  the  cupola. 

It  may  be  best,  however,  even  in  an  18,  20,  or  21  feet  octagon 
to  have  one  or  two  of  these  upper  rooms  the  full  size  of  one  side 
of  the  house ; that  is,  to  have  one  or  two  good-sized  rooms  above, 
rather  than  so  many  small  ones.  In  this  case  the  north  room  at 
the  head  of  the  stairs  now  marked  1 and  2,  need  not  be  parti- 
tioned off,  which  will  enable  us  to  start  our  next  flight  of  stairs 
back  at  the  door  into  3,  and  so  to  completely  clear  the  door  into 
1.  Or,  if  you  see  fit  to  start  your  stairs  at  any  other  point,  or 
to  arrange  them  differently,  the  room  will  be  true  relatively  of 
rise  and  even,  and  starting  and  landing,  in  that  case  as  in  this. 

The  dumb-waiter  can,  and  should  be,  continued  up  into  this 
story,  as  marked,  which  will  render  the  adjoining  rooms  very 
handy  as  nurseries,  and  in  cases  of  sickness. 

55.  UPPER  STORIES. 

A 15  or  16  feet  octagon,  to  look  well,  should  be  only  two  stories 
above  the  cellar,  the  first  10  or  11  feet  between  joints,  the  other 
about  9,  with  a small  cupola;  but  in  one  of  18,  20,  or  21  feet 
sides,  or  larger,  the  main  story  should  be  11  or  12,  the  next  9 or 
10,  and  the  upper  8.  This  will  render  one  of  18  feet  sided  rather 
high  for  its  breadth — yet,  I think,  none  too  high.  Most  houses 
are  quite  too  low  for  looks,  while  I go  in  for  height  in  houses  and 
rooms. 

As  to  the  partitioning  off  of  our  rooms,  I see  no  plan  better  than 
to  follow  the  pattern  of  the  story  below.  In  a 15  feet  octagon  it 
would  be  best  to  have  but  one  window  per  side,  but  in  one  larger, 
two  windows  on  the  sides  of  the  four  large  rooms  are  admissible, 
perhaps  best,  as  breaking  the  monotony  of  one  per  side,  and  ena- 


UPPER  STORIES. 


173 


bling  us  to  partition  off  our  upper  stories  so  as  to  get  12  rooms 
jper  story , eight  square  and  four  irregular,  besides  a closet  to  each 
square  room.  This  arrangement,  in  a three-story  house,  gives  us 
29  rooms  above  the  cellar  ! 

But  if  four  large  rooms  are  preferred  to  eight  smaller  ones, 
omit  those  separating  partitions.  You  can  then  enter  this  north 
room  either  at  the  top  of  your  main  stairs,  or  pass  around  to  the 
foot  of  the  stairs  above,  as  may  be  preferred. 

One  other  feature  of  this  plan  is,  that  it  admits  of  great  varia- 
tions in  partitioning  off  your  house — an  advantage  well  worth 
considering. 

Fig.  32. 


m 


OCTAGONAL  BARNS,  CARRIAGE-HOUSES,  ETC. 


Moldings. 

We  do  not  propose  to  take  up  the  general  subject  of  mold- 
ings, but  only  to  describe  our  own,  which  we  think  an  improve- 
ment on  any  we  have  seen.  Plainness  is  better  than  fancified 
ornament,  and  in  Boston  it  is  quite  the  custom  to  put  on  only 
casings  without  moldings.  But  to  our  own.  It  consists,  first, 
of  a rather  narrow  casing  of  ordinary  thickness ; secondly,  of  a 
strip  of  inch  board,  about  three  inches  thick,  on  which  is  worked 
an  og,  leaving  about  an  inch  margin  before  the  og  commences, 
and  working  it  down  to  an  edge.  Nail  this  on  the  casing  about 
two  or  three  inches  back  from  its  inner  edge.  Now,  if  it  shrinks, 
it  leaves  no  crack  between  it  and  the  casing.  It  simply  shrinks 
on  the  casing,  not  from  it,  so  as  to  show  no  open  joint.  Then 
take  another  strip,  say  inch-and-haif  or  two  inches  wide,  bevel 
off  its  two  corners  on  one  edge,  so  that  these  bevels  shall  be 
just  equal  in  width  to  the  space  on  the  edge  between  them,  and 
nail  this  on  sideways  to  the  og  just  described,  and  plaster  up  to 
this.  This  gives  us,  first,  three  or  four  inches  of  casing,  accord- 
ing to  how  far  back  the  og  is  nailed,  then  the  og  and  an  inch  of 
plain  surface,  and  then  this  edgewise  piece,  its  inner  bevel  being 
just  even  with  this  og,  which  gives  an  octagon  inner  angle  and 
two  outer  angles.  This  looks  well ; but  its  chief  beauty  is,  that 
if  it  shrinks  it  shows  no  open  joints,  for  this  back  octagon  bev- 
eled piece  shrinks  within,  and  hence  shows  no  joint  between  it- 
self and  the  og,  while,  if  the  og  shrinks,  it  shows  no  open  joint 
between  itself  and  the  casing. 

56.  OCTAGONAL  BARNS,  CARRIAGE-HOUSES,  ETC. 

That'  an  octagonal  house  can  be  partitioned  off  into  rooms  and 
closets  to  far  better  advantage  than  a square  one,  this  work  has 
demonstrated,  and  any  occupant  ot  one  testifies.  But  can  it  be 
applied  to  barns  with  equal  advantage  ? It  can,  perhaps,  compar- 
atively, with  even  greater.  In  them  especially  we  need  some  com- 
mon center  in  and  around  which  to  work.  This  form  will  turn  the 
heads  of  all  the  horses  and  cattle,  and  openings  to  all  the  bays  and 
bins  toward  this  center,  so  that  one  can  pass  from  bay  to  stall, 
and  from  every  part  to  every  other,  with  half  the  steps  required 


OCTAGONAL  BARNS,  CARRIAGE-HOUSES,  ETC. 


m 


in  a square  one.  This  is  rendered  obvious  by  a law  already 
proved  and  applied  to  houses.38 

This  form  subserves  several  other  purposes,  one  of  which  is, 
that  it  gives  more  sides,  and  hence,  different  bays  for  different 
things,  than  a square  barn  furnishes— one  or  two  each  for  cattle, 
horses,  hay,  wheat,  oats,  straw,  stalks,  etc. — and  will  furnish  many 
more  handy  places  for  different  things.  For  reasons  already 
shown,  it  is  both  more  compact31  and  more  capacious  for  its  out- 
side wall,  than  a square  or  oblong.35 

If  of  average  size,  this  form  will  enable  you  to  turn  around  in 
this  center,  or  drive  wagon  and  cart  around  in  a circle,  and  close 
to  the  inner  end  of  each  bay,  thereby  reaching  all,  and  turning 
round  so  as  to  pass  out  where  you  entered.  This  consumes  less 
wall-room  for  entrances,  and  saves  backing  out,  besides  furnish- 
ing just  the  shaped  floor  required  for  threshing  with  horses,  viz., 
circular — the  best  also  for  threshing  with  the  flail.  Considered 
in  any  and  every  aspect,  the  octagonal  form  of  barn  facilitates 
all  the  ends  of  a barn  far  better  than  the  square. 

These  same  principles  and  remarks  apply  equally  to  wagon- 
houses  and  other  outbuildings.  Still,  it  is  best  to  unite  just  as 
many  objects  as  possible  with  the  barn,  so  as  to  need  few  if  any 
outhouses.  Thus,  to  appropriate  one  octagon  side  of  a barn  to 
carriage  and  harness,  is  far  better  than  to  have  the  carriage-house 
separate.  For  the  same  reasons  that  we  recommended  one  house 
and  no  L or  T additions  stuck  on,34  we  recommend  one  barn  and 
no  outbuildings  around  it.  And  this  is  by  far  the  most  econom- 
ical. To  illustrate  by  appealing  to  the  eye. 

\fl 

i 

I 

• c 


r d 

\ e 


Let  the  larger  figure  represent  the  barn,  and  the  two  smaller 
the  wagon-house  and  corn-crib,  or  any  other  outbuildings;  now 
the  walls  a,  b,  c , d , and  e,  represented  by  dotted  lines,  or  five  out 


a 


176 


OCTAGONAL  BARNS,  CARRIAGE-HOUSES,  ETC. 

of  twelve,  are  saved  by  our  plan,  but  lost  by  the  usual  one. 
And  this  loss  appertains  to  foundations  as  well  as  sides.  And 
then  how  much  handier.30 

A few  general  observations  on  barns  must  suffice.  If  a farmer 
can  find  a knoll  or  bank,  so  that  he  can  drive  in  on  to  his  main 
floor,  several  feet  above  the  foundation — and  the  higher  the  bet- 
ter, for  it  is  easier  to  pitch  down  than  up — so  as  to  have  a cellar 
or  basement  story,  say  8 feet  high,  and  arrange  bins  under  his 
floor  for  carrots,  beets,  potatoes,  turnips,  etc.,  so  that  he  can  drive 
in  on  to  the  floor  and  dump  them  right  from  the  cart  down  a 
hatchway  into  each  bin,  he  will  save  half  his  labor  in  handling 
them.  And  by  arranging  the  floor  on  which  the  stock  stand  a 
foot  or  two  below  the  barn  floor,  the  cattle  can  feed  off  of  the 
barn  floor.  This  plan  has  several  advantages  over  mangers,  one 
of  which  is,  that,  in  turning  their  heads,  as  in  feeding,  they  do 
not  drop  their  hay  or  grain  under  their  feet,  but  only  on  to  the 
bam  floor,  and  within  their  reach.  In  this  case,  since  the  heads 
of  the  cattle  are  over  the  barn  floor,  their  breath  is  not  confined; 
but  ascends  readily,  not  into  the  mow,  to  vitiate  the  smell  of  their 
fodder,  but  into  this  center,  so  that  they  get  far  better  air — a point 
as  important,  relatively,  to  beast  as  to  man.  This  plan  gives 
several  feet  under  them  to  receive  their  manure  and  keep  it  under 
cover  and  in  a body , so  that  it  retains  all  its  original  virtues ; 
whereas,  if  thrown  out,  and  especially  under  the  eaves,  or  if  the 
water  from  the  barn-yard  runs  off , it  loses  a large  proportion  of 
its  fertilizing  elements.  Manure  should  always  be  kept  under 
cover  till  drawn  out,  and  then  should  be  spread  and  plowed  under 
the  very  day,  and,  if  possible,  the  very  hour  it  is  drawn.  The 
bad  smell  from  manure  is  caused  by  the  escape  of  its  nutritious 
elements. 

Especially  should  the  liquid  or  urinary  portion  of  manure,  its 
very  best  part,  be  saved ; whereas  it  is  now  mostly  lost.  A 
good  plan  is  to  put  dry  muck  or  loam  behind  cattle,  to  soak  up 
this  element,  and  retain  its  virtue  till  applied  to  the  land. 

And  why,  pray,  did  nature  render  human  and  animal  excre- 
ment so  offensive  to  eye,  smell,  and  taste,  but  to  induce  us  to 
bury  it,  that  it  may  again  be  transformed  into  vegetation  1 Is  it 
not  a sacred  duty  to  save  all  there  is  of  both  human  and  animal 


OCTAGONAL  BARNS,  CARRIAGE-HOUSES,  ETC.  177 

excrement,  that  it  may  enhance  food  ? It  is  an  instrumentality 
of  life , and  therefore  to  be  counted  both  valuable  and  sacred. 
Yet  how  often  do  we  see  it  running  perpetually  from  the  farm- 
yard into  the  road,  or  some  rill,  to  be  lost  to  him,  but  not  to  the 
earth;  for,  passing  into  gas,  it  permeates  the  air,  and  is  from 
it  taken  up  again  by  vegetables.  Nor  should  human  excre- 
ment, as  now,  be  wasted,  but  provision  should  be  made  in  every 
village  and  family  for  restoring  it  to  the  earth  from  whence  it 
has  been  abstracted.  Incalculably  would  this  course,  if  generally 
adopted,  multiply,  and  thereby  cheapen,  human  and  animal 
food.44’48  Indeed,  so  almost  infinitely  important  is  this  matter, 
and  so  profitable  withal,  that  men  must  see  its  force  and  adopt 
it.  Life  itself  is  not  more  important;  for  whatever  enhances 
food  increases  life.  I repeat,  then,  plan  your  barns  to  keep  all 
the  manure  housed  till  applied. 

That  the  gravel  wall  is  exactly  adapted  to  barns,  is  obvious. 
They  consist  mainly  of  wall,  and  the  gravel  wall  is  far  better  for 
a barn  than  boards  or  stone.  It  can  be  plastered  on  the  outside 
with  common  mortar,  or  an  addition  of  coal  screenings,22  or  left 
rough,  as  the  builder  can  afford. 

As  to  the  cost  of  a frame,  as  compared  with  a concrete  barn, 
I can  not  state,  but  as  our  upper  story  costs  only  $80,  or  less 
than  four  cents  per  running  foot,  the  walls  of  a barn  40  by  40, 
and  20  feet  high,  at  this  rate  will  cost  $68,  and  could  be  at  least 
built  for  $100,  with  any  sort  of  economy  and  management. 

A large  barn  is  far  preferable  to  a small  one.  Does  not  every 
farmer  lack  barn-room?  How  many  things  have  you  got,  reader, 
which  ought  to  be  housed,  and  are  rapidly  decaying  for  want  of 
it?  Would  not  more  barn-room  pay  many  times  over  the  inter- 
est on  its  cost?  Then  let  farmers  build  larger  barns  ; especially 
since  large  barns  are  relatively  so  much  cheaper  than  small  ones. 
To  see  stacks  of  hay  and  stalks  standing  out  of  doors,  and  cattle 
“ run  out”  winters  to  eat  them  in  the  lots,  is  poor  policy ; for 
hay  wastes  by  summer  rains,  wastes  when  fed  on  the  bare  ground, 
wastes  by  storms  during  its  use,  while  the  top  of  the  stack  is  off, 
and  wastes  by  taking  a much  larger  quantity  to  keep  cattle 
equally  well  out  of  doors  than  in.  Nor  should  corn  be  allowed, 
as  now,  to  stand  out  till  its  stalks  are  nearly  spoiled.  They 

s# 


178 


OCTAGONAL  BARNS,  CARRIAGE-HOUSES,  ETC. 


lose  a large  proportion  of  their  virtue  by  being  exposed  to  rain 
and  sun.  One  load  cured  under  cover  is  worth  four  cured  out. 
Now  make  your  barn  and  its  floor  large  enough  to  take  in  your 
stalks,  and  they  can  be  stacked  on  poles  thrown  across  girths  five 
or  six  feet  high,  so  as  to  be  well  aired,  yet  got  into  a small  com- 
pass, and  the  extra  virtue  of  your  stalks  as  fodder  will  more 
than  double  the  interest  of  the  money  spent  in  enlarging  the 
barn.  Corn-stalks  soon  perish  if  out  in  the  weather,  yet  make 
the  very  best  of  fodder  if  cured  under  cover. 

To  facilitate  this  and  other  like  ends,  and  give  cattle  sun,  it 
will  quit  cost  to  have  a part  of  the  roof  made  of  glass.  Its  cost 
is  not  much  more  than  shingles,"19  and  allows  you  to  have  sun  in 
your  barn,  with  which  to  dry  potatoes,  corn,  hay,  etc.,  in  doors, 
and  will  be  found  very  useful  for  a great  many  ends  of  which  we 
do  not  now  dream. 

Nor  can  I see  why  two  or  three  stories  on  barns  are  not  as  ad- 
vantageous as  on  houses.  A neighbor  of  the  author  drives  his 
grain  in  upon  his  second  story,  where  he  threshes  it — the  horse- 
power being  below — which  allows  the  straw  to  be  tumbled  down 
into  the  yard  below,  instead  of  having  to  be  pitched  up  on  to  a 
stack,  and  lets  the  grain  sift  down  through  on  to  the  main  floor, 
where  it  is  cleaned,  and  passes  from  the  tail  of  the  fanning-mill 
right  down  into  the  grain-bin,  still  below,  in  the  basement,  from 
which  it  is  loaded  into  the  wagon. 

In  a great  variety  of  ways,  money  spent  in  erecting  barn  con- 
veniences will  save  time,  money,  produce,  every  thing.  We 
give  no  diagrams  for  barns  or  carriage-houses,  because  we  have 
neither  studied  nor  written  on  details,  but  would  leave  them  to 
be  planned  by  each  builder  in  accordance  with  his  grounds,  wants, 
and  taste ; but  feel  assured  that  the  octagon  form  and  gravel 
wall  are  peculiarly  applicable  to  barns  and  outbuildings  as  well 
as  to  dwellings. 


THE  BOARD  WALL  IN  PLACE  OF  FRAMES. 


179 


57.  THE  BOARD  WALL  IN  PLACE  OF  FRAMES. 

At  first  we  considered  the  board-wall  plan,  brought  forward 
conspicuously  in  the  preceding  edition,  so  inferior  to  our  con- 
crete material  as  not  to  deserve  mention ; yet  have  finally 
concluded  to  describe  it,  especially  since  it  may  benefit  some 
builders,  yet  can  injure  none.  The  author  built,  and  lived  seve- 
ral years  in,  a house  of  this  kind,  and  found  it  much  cheaper,  and 
he  thinks  better  every  way,  than  a frame  house.  A master 
builder  in  Bennington,  Vt.,  has  erected  seVeral  houses  in  this 
style  ; and,  in  one  of  his  contracts,  was  left  to  choose  for  himself 
between  the  board  wall  or  frame,  at  the  same  price,  and  chose 
the  former  as  cheaper ; and  its  owner  expresses  himself  as  far 
better  satisfied  with  it  than  with  a frame  house. 

A frame  house,  unless  “ filled  in”  with  brick,  is  very  cold  in 
winter  and  warm  in  summer,  whereas  our  board  wall  is  better 
than  any  filling  in  can  be,  besides  being  far  cheaper  than  the  frame 
house,  without  t-he  filling. 

The  simplicity  and  ease  of  its  construction  also  strongly  rec- 
ommend the  plan — for  any  tolerably  ingenious  man  may  put  it 
up.  Having  erected  and  plumbed  his  inside  comer  boards  as 
guides,  all  he  has  to  do  is  to  lay  on  boards  straight,  and  nail  them 
down. 

The  plan  of  construction  is  this  ; Have  boards  sawed  half  four 
and  half  six  inches  wide,  and  1,  li,  H,  or  2 inches  thick  ; erect  and 
plumb  a board  at  each  inside  corner,  and  perhaps  one  in  the  middle ; 
lay  down  a wide,  and  then  a narrow,  course  of  boards  all  round 
the  house,  at  the  corners  letting  one  board  pass  clear  out  to  the 
corner  from  one  side  one  time,  and  the  next  time  letting  the  board 
from  the  other  way  run  clear  out ; and  thus  proceed,  tier  by  tier, 
till  high  enough  for  window  frames  ; then  insert  them,  and  pro- 
ceed till  high  enough  for  the  floor  timbers,  which  are  to  be  laid 
right  upon  this  board  wall.  Prepare  the  place  and  first  rough 
frames  for  the  doors  and  windows,  as  already  described  for  the 
gravel  wall,16  or  by  simply  setting  up  two  boards  as  wide  apart 
as  window  or  door  is  to  be,  making  allowance  for  weights,  if 
your  windows  are  to  be  run  with  them — and  the  window  casings 
will  just  form  the  required  box  for  them  to  run  in — and  nail 


180 


THE  BOARD  WALL  IN  PLACE  OF  FRAMES. 


through  this  board  into  the  ends  of  your  wall  boards.  The 
widest  of  your  wall  boards  single  will  do,  yet  two  nailed  together 
will  make  it  the  stronger,  or  less  liable  to  shake  when  walking  on 
the  floor  above — and  the  second  board  should  be  nailed  on  after 
the  first  has  been  nailed  to  the  wall  boards. 

Arrived  at  the  tops  of  windows  and  doors,  let  your  wall  boards 
extend  over  them.  Carry  up  inside  partitions  along  with  the  out- 
side walls,  and  let  a board  every  few  rounds  project  from  the 
inside  walls  through  the  outside  wall,  and  be  nailed  to  it,  so  as  to 
bind  inside  and  outside  walls  firmly  together. 

By  using  alternately  a wide  and  then  a narrow  board  you  save 
lathing , for  as  every  alternate  board  projects  an  inch  over  the  one 
next  above  and  below',  the  plaster  clenches  into  these  openings. 
This  method,  by  saving  both  the  lath  themselves,  and  nails,  which 
cost  some  two  cents  per  yard,  and  then  putting  on,  which  costs 
some  four  cents  more,  makes  a large  saving — namely,  twelve  cents 
per  square  yard,  both  sides  being  counted. 

Another  method  is  to  take  boards  of  equal  widths,  and  lay  one 
out,  one  half,  three  quarters,  or  one  inch,  and  the  other  in,  thereby 
forming  the  same  openings  for  the  plaster  to  clench.  In  this 
case  the  boards  may  be  four,  five,  or  six  inches  wide,  at  pleasure. 

Still  another  plan  is  to  lay  the  outside  of  the  wall  up  even,  by 
taking  boards  half  four  and  the  other  half  five,  or  half  five  and 
half  six  inches  wide,  and  laying  them  even  on  the  outside,  which 
will  bring  the  inside  uneven,  so  as  to  hold  the  plastering. 

One  other  method  is  to  take  boards  of  equal  width,  say  five 
or  six  inches,  and,  after  nailing  one  down,  put  on  sticks  crosswise, 
as  in  sticking  up  boards  to  dry,  nailing  through  sticks  into  boards, 
thus  leaving  half  the  space  open,  which  plastering  will  fill  up,  and 
render  both  warm  and  strong.  I have  seen  them  built  thus,  yet 
not  tried  this  method. 

The  manner  of  fastening  them  together  is  by  driving  tenpenny 
nails  down  through  each  board,  some  three,  four,  or  five  feet 
apart,  into  the  board  below.  This  renders  the  corners,  and  all 
the  points  where  walls  intersect,  perfectly  solid , and  the  whole 
immovable  by  winds. 

Another  method  of  fastening  is  to  drive  a nail  or  two  at  some 
given  point,  into  eight  or  ten  boards,  then  bore  down  through 


THICKNESS  OF  BOARDS. 


181 


all  with  a half,  three  quarter,  or  inch  auger,  and  pin  them  all  together 
solid.  This  makes  the  structure  all  the  more  solid.  A dowel 
pin  in  the  end  will  increase  the  solidity,  yet  the  wall  will  be 
strong  enough  without. 

THICKNESS  OF  BOARDS. 

If  plastering  will  adhere  to  two-inch  spaces  as  well  as  to  one — 
and  F do  not  see  why  it  will  not — why  not  saw  our  boards  two 
inches  thick  ? Why  saw  boards  up  thin  only  to  nail  them 
together  again'?  I have  not? tried  it,  but  I should  think  two  by 
four  and  two  by  three  would  be  as  well  as  one  by  four  and  one 
by  three — Better,  if  the  plaster  will  only  stick  till  it  hardens. 
This  will  save  something  in  the  sawing,  and  half  in  the  laying — 
for  a thick  board  can  be  laid  as  quickly  as  a thin  one. 

Another  suggestion  : Can  not  scantling  and  wany-edged  pieces 
be  used  for  half  the  wTall  in  place  of  the  narrow  boards?  Suppose, 
instead  of  first  squaring  the  log,  it  be  slit  into  two  by  four  pieces. 
This  will  leave  the  inside  pieces  square  two  by  four,  and  all  around 
the  log  the  slab  part  will  be  in  wany-edged  pieces,  with  three 
sides  square  and  the  other  irregular.  But  the  plastering  will  fill 
up  the  irregularity.  This  will  take  more  mortar  but  less  timber. 
Where  mortar  is  dearest,  this  suggestion  is  useless. 

Any  kind  of  timber  will  do — hemlock,  poplar,  willow,  oak, 
coarse  pine,  maple,  beech,  elm,  buttonball — any  and  every  thing, 
however  knotty,  or  shaky,  or  wany — all  fill  up  and  count  equally 
with  clear  stuff.  And  the  lime  will  prevent  its  decay. 

Sixteeri  feet  is  one  of  the  most  common  lengths  for  box  boards, 
and  will  be  just  the  length  for  a sixteen  feet  octagon  house.  Yet 
to  join  them  is  perfectly  easy.  If  you  would  make  your  walls 
twenty  feet,  cut  sixteen  feet  boards  into  four  pieces,  and  use  one 
sixteen  and  one  four  feet ; and  thus  of  other  lengths.  Short 
pieces  can  be  laid  on  and  nailed  down,  so  that  all  the  odds  and 
ends  can  be  worked  up.  In  laying  up  it  is  not  necessary  to  cut 
each  board  separately  as  it  is  laid  up,  but  getting  your  lengths, 
say  between  windows,  or  from  windows  to  corners,  saw  off 
all  at  once,  enough  to  carry  up  that  section,  nail  them  down, 
measure,  saw, -and  nail  another  section,  and  so  on.  Yet  once 
above  all  openings,  go  all  around  one  board  at  a time.  Two  can 


182 


COST  OF  THE  BOARD  WALL 


work  to  admirable  advantage : one  on  the  ground,  to  saw  and  fit, 
and  the  other  on  the  scaffold,  to  place  and  fasten. 

58.  COST,  ABSOLUTE  AND  RELATIVE,  OF  THE  BOARD  WALL. 

“ But  what  a raft  of  timber,  and  what  quantities  of  nails,  this 
plan  will  consume  !”  it  is  objected.  Let  us  see.  If  your  house 
is  sixteen  feet  octagon,  and  your  boards  half  three  and  half  five 
inches  wide,  averaging  four,  a sixteen  feet  board  makes  three 
boards,  and  carries  up  one  side  three  inches,  and  four  boards  one 
foot,  which  takes  sixty-four  feet  per  foot  per  side.  If  your  stories 
are  ten  and  eight  feet,  it  will  require  18  x 64  = 1,152  per  side 
x 8 = 9,216  x $12  per  1,000  = $111  for  the  outsfde  wall— 16 
windows  or  doors,  say  216  feet.  But  at  $8  per  1,000  it  will  cost 
only  $72,  at  $5  only  $45,  and  at  $15,  $134.  But  since  the  most 
common  lumber,  the  tops  of  trees,  pine  and  hemlock,  and  any 
other  coarse  kind  will  answer,  it  can  probably  be  got  in  most 
localities  at  from  $5  to  $8. 

The  inside  walls  will  cost  in  the  same  proportion.  If  lumber 
is  $8,  and  the  inside  wall  half  as  long  as  the  outside,  it  will  cost 
$108 — less  by  considerable  than  a frame  house. 

Then  the  putting  up.  If  a fair  carpenter  could  not  put  up  one 
foot,  all  around,  per  day,  he  must  be  slow.  This  would  require 
him  to  lay  less  than  150  boards  per  day,  or  one  board  in  about 
five  minutes.  But  he  can  do  more.  An  ingenious  laborer  can 
build  a foot  per  day  all  round,  and  put  up  the  house  in  eighteen 
days,  except  the  floor  timbers.  From  $20  to  $25  should  put  it 
up,  which  includes  the  raising , whereas  this  for  a frame  house 
would  require  fifteen  or  twenty  men  half  a day,  or  eight  to  ten  of 
the  twenty  days’  work  required  to  put  up  the  board  wall. 

In  building  my  old  house,  we  were  all  astonished  that  so  little 
work  put  up  so  much,  though  it  was  new  work  to  all.  My  car- 
penter said  he  would  not  have  put  up  as  large  a frame  merely,  for 
any  less  than  $120,  whereas  this  cost,  in  timber  and  labor,  less 
than  $80.  It  took  about  twenty  days’  work,  ten  of  carpenter  and 
ten  of  common  labor,  to  put  up  my  board  house,  twenty-seven  by 
twenty-seven,  and  twenty-two  feet  high,  including  placing  the  floor 
timbers  and  rafters.  And  this  leaves  your  house  the  same  as  lathed , 
except  over  head,  and  all  ready  for  mortar.  Yet  some  abatement 


PLANK  WALLS. 


183 


must  be  made,  because  it  will  take  more  mortar  and  work  to  put 
the  first  coat  on  this  wall  than  on  lath,  and  unless  pains  are  taken 
to  lay  it  straight,  more  trouble  to  get  the  walls  perfectly  true. 

The  outside  can  now  be  clapboarded,  yet  the  house  will  be 
warmer  if  plastered  outside  first.  My  own  was  thus  plastered. 
It  took  a mason  and  tender  four  days,  besides  mortar,  probably 
costing  $12  or  $15,  but  is  much  more  than  enough  better  to  quit 
cost.  No  pains  need  be  taken  to  smooth  it  off,  but  only  to  stop  up 
the  open  spaces  ; and  coarse  mortar  or  clay  is  as  good  as  any  thing. 
Nor  do  I see  why  common  mud,  or  any  soil,  wet  up,  will  not 
do.  This  will  make  the  house  very  warm  in  winter,  and  shut 
off  all  wind,  both  from  the  floors  and  walls ; because  it  can  not 
get  in  to  the  house  as  it  can  in  a frame  house,  through  the  clap- 
boards, and,  therefore,  can  not  get  to,  or  pass  through , whatever 
cracks  exist  in  floor,  ceiling,  and  wall.25  It  also  excludes  vermin.26 

But  a single  objection  has  ever  been  urged  against  it — namely, 
that  in  damp  weather  it  swells,  and  in  dry  shrinks,  thus  leaving 
doors  and  windows  disjointed.  I experience  this  difficulty  only 
slightly  in  my  own  house  ; yet  in  damp  localities  it  may  be 
greater.  Yet  by  plastering  mine  outside  I probably  excluded 
dampness  and  air  from  getting  access  to  my  boards,  and  therefore 
forestalled  the  evil. 

59.  PLANK  WALLS. 

Another  form  of  building  board  walls  consists  in  placing  plank 
edgewise,  one  above  another,  and  dowelpinning  them  together 
along  the  walls,  and  halving  or  dovetailing  them  at  the  corners, 
and  building  the  inside  walls  in  with  the  outside,  as  you  go  along 
up.  This  takes  less  timber,  by  one  quarter,  if  three  inch  plank 
is  used,  and  two  and  a half,  and,  I think,  even  two,  will  do 
equally  well,  which  will  cost  only  half  as  much,  or  $36,  or  $54, 
at  $8  per  1,000.  That  is,  an  octagon  house,  16  feet  sides,  em- 
braces 128  x 18  = 2,304  surface  feet,  less  24,  outside  doors  or 
windows  as  per  our  last  plan — say,  7 x 4 = 28  x 24=672  = 
1,732  x 2,  for  2 inch  plank  = 3,464  or  X 3?  for  3 inch  = 5,196  x 
$8  only,  equal  to  $36  86,  or  $56  29.  This  kind  of  wall  can  be 
put  up  for  about  the  same  as  the  other,  yet  will  require  a car- 
penter, and  can  be  clapboarded  on  the  outside,  and  lathed  and 


18  4 


THE  POOR  MA^S  COTTAGE. 


plastered  inside — lathing  on  cross  laths  set  sixteen  inches  apart, 
up  and  down  in  place  of  studs.  The  floor  timbers  rest  on  this 
wall.  This  also  makes  a warm  and  very  strong  house.  The 
Williamsburg  octagon41  is  made  this  way.  I intended  to  have 
built  my  new  house  on  this  plan,  and  ordered  the  plank,  but 
meanwhile  coming  across  the  gravel-wall  method  I substituted  it 
instea'd,  and  am  glad  1 did. 

60.  THE  POOR  man’s  COTTAGE. 

Sufficient  consideration  has  hardly  yet  been  given  to  the  poor 
man’s  cottage — to  a very  cheap  tenement — such  as  the  poorest 
laborer  or  Western  squatter  can  afford  to  put  up  with  his  own 
hands  merely,  “just  for  now,”  till  he  can  procure  something 
better — something  which  can  be  rendered  comfortable  for  from 
$30  to  $50  or  $100.  The  poorest  laboring  man  can  earn  at 
least  twelve  and  a half  dollars  per  month,  or  $150  per  year,  and 
save  $4  per  month  for  a prospective  home.  But  how  save  it,  if 
he  has  a family  to  feed  and  clothe,  and  rent  to  pay  1 From  his 
food  alone , if  in  no  other  way.  Nature's  wants  are  few — arti- 
ficial wants  consume  by  far  the  largest  part  of  human  time  and 
earnings.  To  feed  a human  being  well,  so  as  to  keep  all  the 
bodily  and  mental  powers  up  to  their  fullest  action,  costs  very 
little.  One  pound  of  wheat  and  a few  sweet  apples  per  day  will 
do  it.  To  the  fullest  possession  of  human  power,  meat  is  not 
necessary — is  probably  more  prejudicial  than  otherwise,  for  both 
the  strongest  and  the  fleetest  animals  eat  no  meat ; and  Liebig 
proves  that  what  we  get  from  meat  co"mes  first  from  the  vegetable 
kingdom;  and  men  abound  in  every  community  who  have  never 
tasted  it,  yet  are  as  strong  and  healthy  as  meat-eaters.  Wheat  is 
the  very  best  single  article  of  human  diet,  and  contains  every  in- 
gredient requisite  to  feed  man  perfectly.  Now  suppose  yourself 
the  poorest  man  possible — not  worth  a dollar  in  money  or  credit 
— yet  an  honest  man  always  will  have  credit  wherever  known — 
but  able  and  willing  to  work — and  poor  men  can  be  healthy  if 
they  obey  the  health  laws,  which  poor  persons  should  do  first,  for 
on  this  all  depends.  Buy  a bushel  of  wheat  with  your  first  labor. 
Boil  a pound  per  day — not  overboil,  but  leave  something  for  the 
teeth  to  do ; and,  if  married,  it  will  last  yourself  and  wife  a 


THE  POOR  MAN’S  COTTAGE. 


185 


month — less,  if  you  have  children.  Add  two  bushels  of  sweet 
apples,  which,  besides  flavoring  your  wheat,  are  highly  nutritious. 
Food  need  thus  cost  only  three  or  four  days’  work  per  month, 
and  clothes  two  more,  with  incidentals,  half  a month  in  all,  leav- 
ing half  your  earnings  to  go  toward  a house.  Forego  tea,  coffee, 
tobacco,  all  fancies,  all  luxuries,  every  thing  not  absolutely  neces- 
sary, for  a home  of  your  own  will  be  the  greatest  possible  luxury. 
Dress  plainly,  even  coarsely,  till  you  provide  a house.  By  these 
means  you  can  easily  lay  up  at  least  $50  per  year,  now  spent  on 
extras,  for  looks,  taste,  pride,  or  passion. 

Next,  buy  or  lease  a few  rods  square  in  the  corner  of  some  field 
or  wood,  say  for  $5,  $10,  or  $20.  Yet  here  is  a difficulty. 
Farmers  hate  to  sell  to  poor  neighbors.  But  observe  the  reason. 
They  too  generally  make  themselves  obnoxious  by  various  means 
— by  mischievous  children,  tattling,  sometimes  petty  pilfering 
of  fruit,  nuts,  possibly  eggs  or  chickens — but  by  a life  of  honesty 
and  goodness  from  boyhood  you  can  establish  a name,  and  make 
any  neighboring  farmer  glad  to  sell  you  a small  corner.  Choose 
your  location,  if  possible,  close  by  your  material,  a gravel 
bank,9  or  stratum  of  clay  ;23  dig  your  foundation  16  x 14,  if  you 
can  afford  to  build  no  larger — better  thus  small  than  to  have  to 
pay  rent ; excavate  four  feet  deep,  or  if  not  able  to  afford  a floor, 
dig  a trench  four  feet  deep  and  one  foot  wide,  and  build  a nice 
solid  stone  wall  in  it,  and  extend  it  two  feet  above  the  ground. 
Or,  if  stone  is  not  handy,  buy  a barrel  of  water  lime  or  cement, 
at  $1  50,  to  mix  with  gravel  and  stone  for  the  foundation,13  and 
add  two  barrels,  or  from  five  to  eight  bushels  of  lime  for  the 
wall  ;10  or  if  a lime-kiln  is  near,  buy  or  beg  some  of  the  old,  dirty, 
cast-off  lime  lying  all  around  its  mouth,  costing  not  over  $2  or 
$2  50  ; add  four  boxboards,  sixteen  feet  long,  for  the  side  of  the 
boxes,14  four  for  inside  boards,  the  ends  cut  off  serving  for  cleats  ;14 
or,  if  you  can  afford  it,  double  this  number  for  two  tiers  of  boxes,14 
and  as  wide  as  possible,  and  as  near  one  width  as  may  be  ; get  100 
laths  to  nail  across  these  boards  to  keep  them  from  spreading,14 
five  pine  boards  inch  and  quarter  thick,  sixteen  feet  long  and 
eight  inches  wide  for  window  and  door  frames,16  four  boards  six- 
teen feet  long  and  eight  inches  wide  for  top  boards,18  five  floor 
timbers,  sixteen  feet  long,  and  two  or  three  by  eight  for  rafters, 


186 


THE  POOR  MAN’S  COTTAGE. 


and  any  other  poor  stuff  you  can  get  cheap  for  incidental  purposes ; 
add  a few  nails ; provide  saw,  hammer,  square,  jack-plane,  com- 
passes, shovel,  hoe,  and  wheelbarrow  ; make  a plumbob  ; and  you 
are  ready  to  begin  the  wall  proper.  All  this  will  cost  you  from 
$10  to  $15,  according  to  prices,  and  how  many  of  your  tools 
you  can  borrow.  You  will  now  have  some  $20,  $25,  or  $30  of 
your  $50  left. 

Your  cellar  wall  is  one  foot  thick,  but  eight  inches  will  do 
for  your  house.16  This  leaves  a twro-inch  projection  outside  as  a 
water  table,  and  to  rest  your  boxboards  on,  and  inside  on  which  to 
rest  your  floor-timbers,  which,  if  you  are  able  to  have  a floor  in 
the  start,  you  can  get  and  put  down  now,  but  if  not,  live  awhile 
on  the  bare  ground,  and  put  in  floor  afterward.  Next  make  and 
place  your  door  frames,  of  which  perhaps  you  will  w’ant  two, 
thus.  Plane  three  of  your  8 x H inch  pine  boards,  fourteen 
feet  long ; saw  two  of  them  in  two  for  the  uprights,  and  the  other 
for  the  four  bottom  and  top  pieces,  and  nail  them  together.18 
Next  fasten  four  strips  of  board,  as  long  as  your  wall  is  to  be 
high,  and  three  or  four  inches  wride,  firmly  at  the  bottom,  close  to 
the  corner,  and  even  with  the  inside  of  the  wall,  so  as  to  be  within 
it,  and  nail  your  inside  boxboards  thereto,  having  first  sawed 
them  to  the  exact  length,  and  cleated  them  to  prevent  warping.14 
Put  up  two  sixteen  feet  boards  on  the  long  side,  and  then  nail 
the  other  two  outside  boards  upon  their  ends , which  will  leave 
your  boards  on  the  short  sides  to  ‘project  past  the  corners,  on  which 
to  secure  the  ends  of  the  sixteen  feet  boards,  thereby  saving  outside 
standards  ; see  that  these  boards  are  true  and  right,  and  nail  on 
lath  or  strips  across  their  tops  and  brace  their  bottoms  to  prevent 
all  spreading11  and  moving;  and  mix,  temper,  and  fill  in  your 
lime,  gravel,  and  stone  concrete,9  or  your  clay  and  stone.23’22  If 
you  have  two  sets  of  boxboards,  repeat  this  process,  and  you  are 
now  high  enough  for  the  window-frames,  which  make  and  place 
as  for  doors;16  and  then  proceed  till  as  high  as  you  design  your 
house  to  be,  say  eight  or  nine  feet  above  the  floor  timbers. 

You  now  want  a roof- — make  it  thus  : Continue  one  of  the  long 
sides  up  two  courses  higher  than  the  other  side,  and  make  the 
gable  ends  to  slant  evenly  from  the  lower  up  to  the  higher  side. 
Bevel  off  the  top  with  good  mortar,  and  lay  on  your  eight-inch 


THE  POOH  MAN’S  COTTAGE. 


187 


boards  all  around,18  observing,  after  your  walls  become  six  feet 
high  and  upward,  to  brace  them  well,  for  they  are  soft  yet,  and 
liable  to  fall.  If  you  have  other  work  to  do,  let  this  wall  now 
stand  and  season  a few  days,  but  if  not,  put  on  your  four  rafters, 
first  beveling  one  upper  edge  on  each  end,  so  that  they  will  set 
level,  and  the  whole  of  their  lower  edges,  to  correspond  with  the 
pitch  of  your  roof-boards,  and  nail  on  these  boards,  first,  if  possible, 
plowing  a groove  some  three-fourth  inch  from  each  edge  on  their 
upper  side,  and  to  joint  and  match  them  will  make  it  still  better  ; 
and  saw  up  boards  enough  to  make  battens,  say  three  or  four 
inches  wide,  and  nail  on  over  each  joint.  These  grooves  will  now 
prevent  all  water  from  passing  into  the  joints,  and  send  it  along 
down  and  out. 

Probably  a better  way,  where  it  can  be  done,  is  to  mix  five 
parts  of  fine  sand  with  one  of  Blake’s  Ohio  paint;  white  lead 
will  also  do,  and  wet  with  linseed  oil  till  thin  enough  to  work 
well ; spread  it  over  the  joints,  say  a strip  an  inch  wide,  and  bed 
these  batten  boards  down  into  it. 

It  is  best  to  nail  on  weather  boards  all  around  the  top  of 
your  house,  and  make  an  eaves-trough,  so  as  to  keep  as  much 
water  off  from  the  wall  as  possible.23 

You  now  need  a fire-place  and  chimney,42’ 43,44  two  batten  doors, 
hung  on  leather  hinges,  with  wooden  latches,  latch-string  out,  for 
you  will  now  begin  to  feel  rich  enough  to  shelter  a poor  neighbor 
and  two  windows,  costing  say  $5  or  $6.  But  since  a'  goodly 
number  of  your  $50  still  remain,  spend  them  in  adding  any  im- 
provement deemed  next  most  desirable,  among  which  is  a floor, 
if  only  over  a part ; to  make  which,  lay  down  seven  or  eight  floor 
timbers  thirteen  feet  long,  and  2 or  3 X 8,  and  nail  down  the  best 
flooring  you  are  able  to  procure.  Plaster  it  yourself  outside 
and  in,  whenever  convenient. 

To  only  one  evil  are  you  now  exposed — dampness.  My  own 
walls  do  not  show  the  least  of  it,  yet  this  may  be  owing  to  my 
material  leaving  so  many  honey-comb  openings  for  dead  air  all 
through  my  wall.  I also  have  porticoes  at  each  story,  except  the 
upper,  yet  see  no  dampness  there  even.  My  foundation,  too,  is 
protected  against  the  access  of  wet  to  it.  Unless  your  wall  dif- 
fers from  mine,  no  dampness  will  trouble  you,  -provided — and  this 


188 


SUBSEQUENT  ADDITIONS. 


is  indispensable — you  have  the  eaves  project  duly,  say  a foot  at 
top  and  bottom  over  the  walls,  which  can  be  effected  by  nailing  a 
board  on  the  upper  side  of  the  roof  boards  at  top,  letting  it  pro- 
ject as  far  as  its  width  will  allow,  and  another  on  the  under  side 
at  the  eaves,  thus  shooting  the  water  still  farther  off. 

For  emigrants  to  new  countries  or  Western  prairies,  this  plan  is 
far  better  than  log-houses,  because  so  much  cheaper  and  warmer. 
In  prairie  lands  wood  is  dear,  but  gravel  abounds  everywhere, 
some  two  feet  beneath  the  soil.9  This  saves  all  carting,  except 
of  boards  and  lime,  and  the  latter  abounds  all  through  the  West. 

SUBSEQUENT  ADDITIONS. 

This  plan  has  another  great  advantage  over  log-houses — that 
of  making  additions  and  improvements  without  tearing  down  or 
loosening  the  part  already  up.  When  a log-house  rots  down,  or 
its  occupant  can  afford  to  build  something  better,  it  becomes  a 
dead  loss.  Not  so  with  our  plan.  As  soon  as  able,  build  three 
walls  on  the  highest  side  of  your  first  one,  or  that  opposite  the 
pitch  of  roof — and  you  should,  in  choosing  which  way  your  roof 
shall  pitch,  have  reference  to  subsequent  additions,  and  pitch  the 
roof  of  the  addition  the  opposite  way — knock  out  a door-way  or 
two  between  them  ; yet  you  can  also  plan  your  prospective  addition 
before  you  begin,  and  place  one  outside  door,  in  view  of  this  ad- 
dition. Yet  to  make  doors  any  where  through  this  kind  of  wall  is 
perfectly  easy.  After  laboring  another  year,  and  laying  up  another 
$50 — yet  $25  will  now' do — you  are  ready  to  build  your  addition. 

Your  first  house,  A.,  is  14  x 16,  one  side  being  14  to  allow  16 
feet  roof  boards  to  extend  clear  across  it,  yet  have  ample  length 
for  pitch  and  eaves,  having  its  eaves  at  e,  and  ridge  at  a;  f front 
door,  and  another  door  or  a window  at  g.  Now  all  you  have  to 

Fig.  30. 


/ 

a 

A 

g 

B e 

C 

D 

SUBSEQUENT  ADDITIONS. 


189 


do  to  make  an  addition,  is  to  build  the  three  walls  on  the  right 
hand  of  A,  and  the  new  and  old  will  join  at  the  corners  easily 
and  completely,  if  your  mortar  is  made  thin  there,  especially  if 
you  knock  off  and  rough  up  these  corners — I joined  several  walls 
in  this  manner — and  the  addition  is  ready  for  roofing,  sliding  the 
roof  boards  of  the  addition  up  under  the  projecting  ends  of  the 
old  roof,  and  the  weather  board  will  make  the  upper  rafter. 

But  suppose  you  want  to  make  your  addition  one  story  higher, 
now,  or  at  any  subsequent  time,  do  so,  forming  the  roof  as  before  ; 
and  when  ready  to  raise  your  old  part,  saw  down  through  your  first 
rafters  in  about  two  places,  to  enable  you  to  remove  it  in  three  sec- 
tions; knock  off  your  gable  ends  and  lay  on  floor  timbers,  build 
up  the  outside  walls  to  the  height  of  your  addition,  make  other  ga- 
ble ends  to  correspond  with  those  of  the  additions,  replace  the 
three  sections  of  the  old  roof,  nail  on  strips  of  board  each  side 
of  each  rafter  where  sawed  in  two  ; this  will  fasten  the  whole  roof 
together  just  as  it  was  before  sawing  it  apart,  and  you  now  have 
a house  A B 16X28,  and  two  stories  high,  and  at  a cost  not  reach- 
ing $200,  with  a like  opportunity  of  putting  on  4wo  other  addi- 
tions at  each  gable  end,  making  a house  32x28,  and  can  make 
a new  roof  whenever  the  old  one  fails  to  answer  its  purpose  ; or 
to  make  any  other  improvements  afterward  which  time  or  means 
will  allow*,  and  without  throwing  away  any  thing  previously  built. 

New  country  settlers,  is  not  here  something  worthy  of  consid- 
eration ? In  fact,  does  not  every  poor  man  need  some  such  plan 
capable  of  being  added  to  afterward , without  throwing  away  any 
thing  previously  built? 

Poor  man,  does  not  this  chapter  give  you  suggestions  worth 
many  times  more  than  the  whole  book  costs? 

If  objected  that  it  contemplates  only  a poor,  rough  house,  I 
answer,  better  this  than  pay  rent.  My  father  moved  into  a twelve- 
mile  woods,  threw  up  a small  log  cabin,  open  on  one  side,  covered 
with  hemlock  bark,  with  hemlock  boughs  only  for  bed  and  bedding, 
and  two  logs  at  the  right  height  projecting  out  several  feet  for  chairs. 
He  had  a partner,  carried  his  ax  unhelved  and  wrapped  in  a linen 
cloth  on  his  back,  drove  in  a cow,  and  yoke  of  oxen,  to  begin  a 
clearing.  The  cow  was  tied  to  a rather  heavy  bush,  pulled  up 
by  the  oxen  to  prevent  her  straying ; yet  allow  grazing.  At  night 


190 


ASSOCIATIVE  HOUSES. 


his  co-worker  says,“  I’Jl  milk,  if  you’ll  get  something  to  strain  it  in.” 
Father,  with  a trowel,  cut  large  smooth  basins  in  one  of  these  pro- 
jecting logs,  took  his  linen  ax-cloth  for  a strainer,  dug  little  holes 
for  bowls,  and  thus  lived  from  May  till  October  to  put  in  a wheat 
crop,  and  build  a log-house.  My  plan  is  far  less  rustic,  and  better 
every  way  than  many  a back  wood’s  settler  has  been  obliged  to 
adopt ; those  who  have  more  means  can  make  it  all  the  better. 

61.  ASSOCIATIVE  HOUSES. 

Though  far  from  advocating  Fourierism,  but  believing  in 
separate  families,  yet  a large  house,  capable  of  accommodating 
several  families,  can  be  built  several  hundred  per  cent,  cheaper 
than  separate  houses  for  each.  Thus,  foundation  and  roof  for  a 
six-story  house  cost  no  more  than  for  a one  story,27  and  the 
outside  wall  of  a twenty  feet  square  house  is  sixteen  times  greater, 
as  compared  with  its  inside  room,  than  one  of  eighty  feet.28  In 
addition  to  this,  inside  walls  bound  or  inclose  two  rooms,  where- 
as outside  walls  inclose  but  one  room — another  loss  of  a hundred 
per  cent. — while  outside  walls  cost  twice  or  three  times  more 
than  inside  ones,  which  involves  another  loss  of  from  100  to  200 
per  cent.  Add  only  these  four  items  together,  and  they  make 
some  four  or  five  hundred  per  cent,  in  favor  of  large  houses  over 
small  ones.  That  is,  sixteen  families,  combining  to  build  one 
house  to  accommodate  each  family  with  a given  amount  of  room, 
can  obtain  five  or  more  times  the  room  for  the  same  money, 
or  as  much  room  for  one  fifth  the  money,  it  would  cost  each 
to  build  a separate  house.  We  may  err  slightly,  but  wish  rather 
to  show  the  reader  how  to  canvass  this  point  than  to  arrive  at 
accurate  results  ourselves. 

Foundation  and  roof  are  reputed  to  cost  forty  or  fifty  per  cent, 
of  the  entire  expense  of  a house ; hence  for  a six-story  house,  as 
compared  with  one  of  two  stories,  they  cost  only  twelve  to  fif- 
teen per  cent,  for  the  same  amount  of  room — a saving  of  $25  to 
$30  in  every  $100  the  house  costs,  or  a quarter  or  third  of  the 
total  expense — no  small  item.27  The  outside  wall  of  a large- 
house  over  a small  one  will  save  you,  comparatively,  from  400  to 
800  per  cent.,  according  to  how  large  and  small  they  are.28,30’34 
In  both  cases  the  inside  wall  is,  relatively,  about  equal — least  in 


ASSOCIATIVE  HOUSES. 


191 


the  small  one — but  an  inside  wall  incloses  two  rooms,  that  is} 
both  sides  counts,  whereas  only  one  side  of  outside  walls  counts,  or 
incloses  room.  Then  suppose  outside  wall  costs  twenty -four  cents 
per  square  foot,  and  inside  wall  twelve  cents,  as  compared  with 
the  room  it  incloses,  it  costs  only  six  cents,  or  only  one  fourth  as 
much  for  the  room  given — a saving  of  300  per  cent.  ; so  that 
$100  goes  as  far  in  a large  one  as  $400  in  a small  one.  Other 
advantages  of  a large  house,  for  several  families,  over  a separate 
house  for  each  are,  that  the  floor  of  each  story  becomes  the  roof 
of  the  next  below,  the  heat  from  each  room  escapes  into  adjoining 
rooms  and  upper  stories,  instead  of  out  of  doors,  so  that  upper 
stories  are  warm  enough  almost  without  fire  ; each  room  shelters 
adjoining  rooms  against  heat  and  cold,  which  secures  uniformity 
of  temperature ; the  members  of  each  family  can  associate  with 
whichever  or  none  of  the  others  on  a friendly  basis  as  they 
please,  much  more  frequently  and  easily  than  if  they  lived  apart, 
yet  can  enjoy  just  as  much  seclusion  as  different  families  in  the 
same  block  ; can  serve  each  family  with  one  well  as  completely 
as  to  dig  sixteen  wells  ; can  warm  the  whole  house  with  one 
furnace  instead  of  supporting  say  fifty  or  more  fires ; could 
attach  a steam  boiler  to  this  furnace  for  churning,  washing,  and 
other  like  purposes,  whereas  single  families  could  not  support 
one;  and  in  a great  many  such  ways  could  effect  a wonderful 
economy  of  the  labors  and  expense  of  living,  including,  also, 
purchasing  groceries,  vegetables,  wearing  materials,  etc.,  at 
wholesale,  instead  of  by  dribbles,  and  dividing  at  cost,  as  each 
wants,  thus  saving  twenty  to  fifty  per  cent,  on  most  family  ex- 
penses, besides  all  the  saving  in  the  cost  and  rent  of  house  itself. 

Yet,  not  having  given  special  attention  to  the  planning  of  such 
a house,  we  append  no  drawings,  leaving  readers  disposed  to  as- 
sociate together  in  building  such  a house  to  devise  the  internal 
arrangement  of  rooms  for  themselves,  simply  adding,  that  in  the 
center  should  be  an  open  court,  twenty  to  forty  feet  square,  having 
an  inside  piazza  at  each  story,  and  stairs  connecting;  and  an  outside 
piazza  either  at  each  story,  if  all  the  rooms  of  each  family  are  on 
the  same  story,  or  at  every  other  story,  if  they  occupy  two  stories, 
which  would,  doubtless,  be  preferable  ; and  each  family  occupying 
one  quarter  of  a story.  This  would  give  eight  families  to  a four- 


192 


ASSOCIATIVE  HOUSES. 


story  house,  provided  each  occupied  a quarter  of  two  stories,  or 
sixteen  if  they  occupied  only  one  story.  The  inside  rooms  would 
then  be  lighted  from  the  open  court,  and  the  main  rooms  be  square, 
as  in  the  second-story  rooms  of  the  author’s  residence,44  while  the 
triangular  room  there  cut  up  into  small  bedrooms  and  closets, 
might  be  appropriated  to  entry,  closets,  stairway,  and  perhaps 
kitchen,  unless  thought  best  to  put  this  in  the  corner  next  the 
court.  Or,  to  illustrate  from  the  same  figure,  let  those  large 
rooms  be  divided  the  short  way,  one  lighted  from  the  court,  and 
the  other  from  the  outside,  one  appropriated  to  kitchen  and  din- 
ing-room, the  other  to  parlor  and  sitting-room,  and  the  triangle 
cut  at  pleasure.  Yet  we  leave  this  matter  to  be  studied  out  and 
applied,  or  not,  by  the  reader. 

Finally,  reader,  the  great  outline  ideas  of  this  work — “ the  gravel 
wall  and  octagon  form,”  we  leave  at  the  door  of  your  common 
sense,  to  be  adopted  or  rejected,  and  modified  or  improved,  as  each 
reader  pleases.  That  its  details  are  complete  is  not  claimed. 
That  it  is  susceptible  of  important  improvements  is  admitted — 
and  this  is  one  of  its  beauties,  that  it  admits  of  so  much  diversity 
in  its  internal  arrangements  of  rooms,  thus  suiting  itself  to  the 
tastes  and  wants  of  all.  That  it  is  in  part  suggestive,  or  throws 
out  general  facts  and  suggestions  not  worked  out  perfectly  into 
detailed  specifications — like  a loaf  of  bread  put  upon  the  table, 
requiring  to  be  cut  up  into  slices,  but  the  bread — the  main  thing 
— there  for  all,  is  also  admitted.  But  that  no  reader  who  intends 
to  build  can  read  this  work  with  a scrutinizing  mind  without 
gleaning  therefrom  a great  variety  of  most  valuable  hints,  plans, 
suggestions,  and  ideas,  capable  of  being  applied  so  as  very  greatly 
to  improve  his  prospective  house,  even  if  he  adopts  neither  the 
gravel  wall  nor  octagon  form,  so  as  thereby  to  enhance  his  home 
comforts  for  the  balance  of  his  life,  and  that  it  will  enable  him 
to  save  himself  scores  and  even  hundreds  of  dollars  in  building  a 
house,  is  maintained  by  the  author,  and  submitted  to  the  sound 
sense  and  practical  experience  of  the  builder.  And  if  criticised, 
let  it  be  with  generosity,  for  it  has  been  written,  not  to  make 
money  to  the  author,  but  save  it  to  the  builder^  even  while  adding 
to  his  “ home  joys.” 


g.  fist  at  Marks  an 


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Constitution  of  Man.  By  George  Combe.  Abridged  and 

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Defence  of  Phrenology.  Containing  an  Essay  on  the  Nature 

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Love  and  Parentage ; Applied  to  the  Improvement  of  Off- 
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To  all  who  have  ever  tasted  the  sweets  of  Love,  or  felt  its  sting,  or  consummated  its  delightful  union,  _or  who 
anticipate  its  hallowed  cup  of  tenderness,  or  expect  to  fold  its  ‘•dear  pledges  ” in  parental  arms — more  especially 
to  woman,  the  very  embodiment  of  this  angelic  emotion — to  all  who  would  enjoy  ite  heavenly  embrace,  avoid  its 
pangs,  or  render  their  prospective  children  healthy,  and  talented,  and  lovely,  I dedicate  these  love-inspiring 
pages. — [The  Author. 

Love,  Parentage,  and  Amativeness.  OneYol.  Muslin,  75  cts. 
Mental  Science,  Lectures  on  ; According  to  the  Philosophy 

of  Phrenology.  Delivered  before  the  Anthropological  Society  of  the  Western  Liberal  Insti- 
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8 


Marriage : Its  History  and  Philosophy.  With  a Phrenologi- 
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it  worthy  a place  in  every  public  and  private  library.  Besides  the  history,  a phrenological  and  physiological  expo- 
sition of  the  male  and  female  organizations  are  fully  given ; also,  illustrations  showing  what  lemperaments  are  by 
nature  best  adapted  to  each  other.  Those  who  have  not  yet  entered  into  matrimonial  relations,  should  read  this 
book,  and  all  may  profit  by  a perusal.  An  excellent  present  for  either  sex — [N.  Y.  Illustrated  Magazine. 

Memory  and  Intellectual  Improvement ; Applied  to  Self- 

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presented  by  Mr.  Fowler.  The  science  of  Phrenology,  now  so  well  established,  affords  us  important  aid  in  devel- 
oping the  human  mind,  according  to  the  natural  laws  of  our  being.  This,  the  work  before  us  is  pre-eminently  cal- 
culated to  promote,  and  we  cordially  recommend  it  to  all. — [Democratic  Review. 

Matrimony ; or,  Phrenology  and  Physiology  Applied  to  the 

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by  a Chart,  embracing  an  Analysis  of  the  Primary  Mental  Powers  in  their  Various  Degrees 
of  Development,  the  Phenomena  produced  by  their  Combined  Activity,  and  the  Location  of 
the  Phrenological  Organs  in  the  Head.  Together  with  a View  of  the  Moral  and  Theological 
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This  is  a Practical  Standard  Work,  and  may  be  described  as  a Complete  System  of  the  principles  and  practice 
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they  have  accumulated  after  years  of  patient  investigation.  Besides  important  remarks  on  the  Temperaments,  it 
contains  a description  of  all  the  primary  mental  powers,  in  seven  different  degrees  of  development,  together  with 
the  combinations  of  the  faculties ; also,  the  location  of  the  organs  in  the  head,  with  a view  of  the  moral  and  theologi- 
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been  written  on  the  Science,  but  as  indispensably  necessary  to  the  Student,  who  wishes  to  acquire  a thorough 
knowledge  of  Phrenological  Science. — [N.  Y.  Review. 

Phrenological  Almanac.  Published  Annually.  Containing 

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This  is  one  of  the  most  ingenious  inventions  of  the  age.  A cast  made  of  piaster  of  Paris,  the  size  of  the  human 
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divisions  and  classifications.  Those  who  cannot  obtain  the  services  of  a professor,  may  learn  in  a very  short  time, 
from  this  model  head,  the  science  of  Phrenology,  so  far  as  the  location  of  the  organs  is  concerned. — [N.  Y.  Sun. 

Phrenology  and  the  Scriptures ; Showing  their  Harmony. 

By  Rev.  John  Pierpont.  12mo.  44  pp.  Paper,  12  cts. 

Designed  to  show  the  harmony  between  the  teachings  of  Christ  and  his  Apostles,  and  the  Science  of  Phrenology. 

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4 


Fowlers  and  Wells7  Publications. 


Religion,  Natural  and  Revealed ; or,  tlie  Natural  Theology 

and  Moral  Bearings  of  Phrenology,  including  the  Doctrines  Taught,  and  Duties  Inculcated 
thereby,  compared  with  those  enjoined  in  the  Scriptures,  together  with  a Phrenological  Ex- 
position of  the  Doctrines  of  a Future  State,  Materialism,  Holiness,  Sins,  Rewards,  Punish- 
ments, Depravity,  a Change  of  Heart,  Will,  Foreoirdination,  and  Fatalism.  By  0.  S.  Fowler. 
8vo.  176  pp.  Paper,  62  cts  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 

The  momentous  inquiry,  “ What  is  the  true  religion!”  is  answerod  in  this  work,  by  showing  what  religious 
creeds  and  practices  harmonize,  and  what  conflict,  with  the  nature  of  man,  as  unfolded  by  this  Science.  If  ever  our 
■various  religious  opinions  are  to  be  brought  into  harmonious  action,  it  must  be  done  through  the  instrumentality  of 
Phrenological  Science. — [Christian  Freeman. 

Self-Culture,  and  Perfection  of  Character ; Including  the 

Management  of  Youth.  By  0.  S.  Fowler.  12mo.  312  pp.  Paper,  62  cts. ; Muslin,  87  cts. 

“Self  made,  oh  never  made,”  is  the  motto  of  the  author.  This  is  a capital  work;  and,  in  our  opinion,  the  best 
of  the  kind  in  tne  English  language.  It  is  really  a gem.  No  individual  can  read  a page  of  it  without  being  im- 
proved thereby.  We  wish  it  were  in  the  hands  of  every  young  man  and  woman  in  America,  or  even  the  world. 
The  great  beauty  of  this  work  consists  in  the  fact,  that  it  tells  us  how  to  cultivate  or  restrain  the  organa  of  the  brain, 
and  establish  an  equilibrium.  With  this  work,  in  connection  with  Physiology,  Animal  and  Mental,  and  Memouy 
and  Intellectual  Improvement,  we  may  become  fully  acquainted  with  ourselves,  (they  being  related  to  each 
other,)  comprehending,  as  they  do,  the  whole  man.  We  advise  all  to  read  these  works. — {Common  School  Advocate. 

Self-Instructor  in  Phrenology  and  Physiology.  Illustrated 

with  One  Hundred  Engravings  ; including  a Chart  for  Recording  Characters.  By  0.  S. 
and  L.  N.  Fowler.  12mo.  134  pp.  Paper,  30  cts. ; Muslin,  50  cts. 

This  treatise  is  emphatically  a hook  for  the  million,  as  it  contains  an  explanation  of  each  faculty,  full  enough  to 
be  clear,  yet  so  short  as  not  to  weary  ; together  with  combinations  of  the  faculties,  and  engravings  to  show  the 
organs,  large  and  small,  thereby  enabling  all  persons,  with  little  study,  to  become  acquainted  with  practical  Phre- 
nology. An  excellent  work  for  students  of  Phrenology. 

Symbolical  Head  and  Phrenological  Chart,  in  Map  Form, 

showing  the  Natural  Language  of  the  Phrenological  Organs.  Price,  by  mail,  25  cts 

Temperance  and  Tight  Lacing;  Founded  on  Phrenology 

and  Physiology,  showing  the  Injurious  Effects  of  Stimulants,  and  the  Evils  Inflicted  on  the 
Human  Constitution,  by  Compressing  the  Organs  of  Animal  Life.  With  Numerous  Illustra- 
tions. By  0.  S.  Fowler.  8vo.  48  pp.  Price,  15  cts. 

These  works  should  he  placed  in  the  pews  of  every  church  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  The 
two  curses,  intemperance  and  bad  fashions,  are  destroying  more  human  beings  yearly,  than  all  other  causes ; to 
arrest  which,  these  little  (great)  works  will  render  effectual  aid. — [Dr.  Beecher. 

Works  of  Gall,  Combe,  Spurzbeim,  and  Others,  together  with 

all  works  on  Phrenology,  for  sale,  wholesale  and  retail.  Agents  and  Booksellers  supplied 
at  a very  liberal  discount  by  Fowlers  and  Wells,  131  Nassau  Street,  New  York. 


Constitution  of  the  United  States,  in  Phonography,  Corres- 

ponding style.  15  cents. 

Declaration  of  Independence,  in  Phonography.  A Sheet. 

For  Framing.  15  cts. 

Phonographic  Teacher ; Being  an  Inductive  Exposition  of 

Phonography,  intended  for  a School-Book,  and  to  afford  Complete  Instruction  to  those  who 
have  not  the  assistance  of  an  Oral  Teacher.  By  E.  Webster.  !2mo.  112  pp.  Boards,  45  cts. 

Phonographic  Envelopes,  Large  and  Small,  containing  Brief 

Explanations  of  Phonography,  and  its  Utility.  Price,  per  Thousand,  $3.25. 

Phonographic  Alphabet,  upon  Card.  Price,  per  100,  $3.00. 
Phonographic  Word-Signs,  on  Card.  Price,  per  100,  $3.00. 


Fowlers  and  Wells’  Publications. 


5 


gtaop%,  0t  ffliitcr-Citrt 

“ If  the  people  can  be  thoroughly  indoctrinated  in  the  general  principles  of  Hydropathy,  they  will  not  err 
much,  certainly  not  fatally,  in  their  home  application  of  the  Water-Cure  Appliances  to  the  common  diseases  of 
the  day.  If  they  can  go'  a step  further,  and  make  themselves  acquainted  with  the  laws  of  life  and  health, 
they  will  well  nigh  emancipate  themselves  from  all  need  of  doctors  of  any  sort.” — Dr.  Trall. 


Accidents  and  Emergencies  : A Guide,  containing  directions 

for  Treatment  in  Bleeding,  Cuts,  Bruises,  Sprains,  Broken  Bones,  Dislocations,  Railway  and 
Steamboat  Accidents,  Burns  and  Scalds,  Bites  of  Mad  Dogs,  Cholera,  Injured  Eyes,  Chok- 
ing, Poisons,  Fits,  Sun-Stroke,  Lightning,  Drowning,  etc.,  etc.  By  Alfred  Smee,  F.  R.  S. 
Illustrated  with  Numerous  Engravings.  With  Alterations,  Corrections,  and  Appendix  by 
Dr.  R.  T.  Trail.  12mo.  44  pp.  Price,  15  cts. 

Every  one  is  liable  to  meet  with  accidents,  when  time  must  elapse  before  a physician  can  be  called.  This  work 
gives  instructions  for  treatment  in  such  cases.  It  should  be  in  the  hands  of  everybody. 

Bulwer,  Forbes  and  Houghton  on  the  Water  Treatment.  A 

Compilation  of  Papers  and  Lectures  on  the  Subject  of  Hygiene  and  Rational  Hydropathy. 
Edited  by  R.  S.  Houghton,  A.  M.,  M.  D.  12mo.  390  pp.  Muslin,  $1.25. 

This  work  clearly  sets  forth  the  history  and  claims  of  Hydropathy  as  a remedial  agent.  Its  pages  are  replete 
with  sound  sense,  and  free  from  medical  pedantry.  Its  plain,  practical  suggestions  are  just  what  the  people  want. 

Cook  Book,  Hydropathic.  By  B.  T.  Trail,  M.  D.  A Sys- 
tem of  Cookery  on  Physiological  Principles.  The  Work  contains  an  Exposition  of  the  True 
Relations  of  all  Alimentary  Substances  to  Health.  With  Plain  Receipts  for  Preparing  all 
Appropriate  Dishes  for  Hydropathic  Establishments,  Vegetarian  Boarding-Houses,  Private 
Families,  etc.,  etc.  It  is  the  Cook’s  Complete  Guide  for  all  who  “ Eat  to  Live.”  12mo. 
Paper,  62  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 

Children ; Their  Hydropathic  Management  in  Health  and 

Disease.  A descriptive  and  practical  work,  designed  as  a guide  for  families  and  physicians. 
With  numerous  cases  described.  By  Joel  Shew,  M.  D.  12mo.  432  pp.  Muslin,  $1.25. 

This  work  has  been  written  expressly  for  the  people,  and  it  aims  to  present  the  whole  subject  of  the  treatment 
of  children  in  a plain,  practical  manner,  that  every  parent  may  understand  and  apply  its  principle  in  the  restoration 
and  preservation  of  the  health  of  their  offspring. 

It  should  be  in  the  hands  of  every  mother  in  the  land. — [Mirror  of  Temperance,  Port  Jervis,  N.  Y. 

Consumption ; Its  Prevention  and  Cure  by  the  Water 

Treatment.  With  Advice  concerning  Hemorrhage  from  the  Lungs,  Coughs,  Colds,  Asthma, 
Bronchitis,  and  Sore  Throat.  By  J.  Shew,  M.  D.  12mo.  288  pp.  Paper,  62  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 

A work  which  should  be  read  by  every  person  whose  habits,  or  constitution,  are  in  the  least  predisposed  to  any  of 
the  diseases  of  which  it  treats. 

Curiosities  of  Common  Water;  or,  the  Advantages  thereof 

in  Preventing  and  Curing  many  Diseases.  Gathered  from  the  Writings  of  several  Eminent 
Physicians,  and  also  from  more  than  Forty  Years’  Experience.  By  John  Smith,  C.  M.  From 
the  Fifth  London  Edition.  With  Additions,  by  Joel  Shew,  M.  D.  12mo.  92  pp.  30  cts. 

Cholera ; Its  Causes, . Prevention  and  Cure  : Showing  the 

Inefficiency  of  Drug-Treatment,  and  the  Superiority  of  the  Water-Cure  in  this  Disease.  By 
Joel  Shew,  M.  D.  12mo.  98  pp.  Paper,  30  cts. 

Confessions  and  Observations  of  a Water  Patient.  By  Sir 

E.  Lytton  Bulwer.  12mo.  33  pp.  Price,  15  cts. 

Experience  in  Water-Cure : A Familiar  Exposition  of  the 

Principles  and  Results  of  Water -Treatment,  in  the  Case  of  Acute  and  Chronic  Diseases. 
With  an  Explanation  of  Water-Cure  Processes,  Advice  on  Diet  and  Regimen,  and  Particu- 
lar Directions  to  Women  in  the  Treatment  of  Female  Diseases,  Water  Treatment  in  Child- 
birth, asd  the  Diseases  of  Infancy.  Illustrated  by  Numerous  Cases  in  the  Practice  of  the 
Author.  By  Mrs.  Mary  S.  Gove  Nichols  12iv.o.  108  pp.  Price,  30  cts. 


Fowlers  and  Wells’  Publications. 


Errors  of  Physicians  and  Others  in  the  Practice  of  the  Water- 

cure.  By  J.  H.  Kausse.  Translated  by  Dr.  C.  H.  Meeker.  12mo.  91pp.  Price,  30  cts. 


Hydropathic  Encyclopedia : A System  of  Hydropathy  and 

Hygiene.  In  Eight  Parts  : I.  Outline  of  Anatomy.  II*» Physiology  of  the  Human  Body. 
III.  Hygienic  Agencies,  and  the  Preservation  of  Health.  IV.  Dietetics,  and  Hydropathic 
Cookery.  V.  Theory  and  Practice  of  Water  Treatment.  VI.  Special  Pathology,  and  Hydro- 
Therapeutics,  including  the  Nature,  Causes,  Symptoms,  and  Treatment  of  all  known  Dis- 
eases. VIH.  Application  of  Hydropathy  to  Midwifery  and  the  Nursery.  Designed  as  a 
Guide  to  Families  and  Students,  and  a Text-Book  for  Physicians.  By.  R.  T.  Trail  M.  D. 
Illustrated  with  Numerous  Engravings  and  Colored  Plates.  In  Two  large  Volumes.  ’l2mo 
with  985  pp.  Price,  pre-paid  by  Mail,  in  Muslin,  $3.00. 

This  is  the  most  comprehensive  and  popular  work  yet  published  on  the  subject  of  Hydropathy. 

The  title  of  the  book  does  no  justice  to  the  extent  and  variety  of  the  information  which  it  contains.  In  preparing 
it,  no  pains  have  been  spared  in  collecting  and  consulting  the  most  valuable  authorities  For  popular  reference  wo 
know  of  no  work  which  can  fill  its  place.  Without  any  parade  of  technical  terms,  it  is  strictly  scientific  •’  the 
language  is  plain  nnd  simple  ; the  points  explained  are  of  great  importance;  devoted  to  progress,  'the  editor  is  no 
Slave  to  theory ; he  does  not  shock  the  general  reader  by  medicaf  ultraisms;  while  he  forcibly  demonstruteH  tlio 
benefits  of  modern  improvements.  Of  all  the  numerous  publications  which  have  attained  such  a'wide  popularity,  ns 
issued  by  Fowlers  and  Wells,  perhaps  none  are  more  adupted  to  general  utility  than  this  rich,  comprehensive  'and 
well-arranged  Encyclopedia. — [N.  Y.  Tribune. 


Hydropathy  for  the  People.  With  Plain  Observations  on 

Drugs,  Diet,  Water,  Air,  and  Exercise.  By  Wm.  Horsell,  of  London.  With  Notes  and  Ob- 
servations by  R.  T.  Trail,  M.  D.  12mo.  250  pp.  Taper,  62  cts.  ; Mu6lin,  87  cts. 


Hydropathy;  or,  The  Water-Care.  Its  Principles,  Processes, 

and  Modes  of  Treatment.  Compiled,  in  part,  from  the  most  Eminent  Authors,  Ancient  and 
Modem,  on  the  Subject.  Together  with  an  Account  of  the  Latest  Methods  Adopted  by 
Priessnitz.  Numerous  Cases  Described.  By  Dr.  Shew.  12mo.  360  pp.  Muslin,  $1.25. 


Home  Treatment  for  Sexual  Abuses.  A Practical  Treatise 

for  Both  Sexes,  on  the  Nature  and  Causes  of  Excessive  and  Unnatural  Indulgence,  the 
Diseases  and  Injuries  resulting  thereform,  with  their  Symptoms  and  Hydropathic  Manage- 
ment. By  R.  T.  Trail,  M.  D.  12mo.  118  pp.  Price,  30  cts. 

Hygiene  and  Hydropathy,  Three  Lectures  on.  By  E.  S 

Houghton,  A.  M.,  M.  D.  12mo.  132  pp.  Price,  30  cts 

Introduction  to  the  Water-Cure.  Founded  in  Nature,  and 

Adapted  to  the  Wants  of  Man.  By  Thomas  L.  Nichols,  M.  D.  12mo.  46  pp.  Price,  15  cts. 

Midwifery,  and  the  Diseases  of  Women.  A Descriptive  and 

Practical  Work,  showing  the  Superiority  of  Water-Treatment  in  Menstruation,  and  its  Dis- 
orders, Chlorosis,  Leucorrhcea,  Fluor  Albus,  Prolapsus  Uteri,  Hysteria,  Spinal  Diseases,  and 
other  Weaknesses  of  Females  ; in  Pregnancy,  and  its  Diseases,  Abortion,  Uterine  Haemor- 
rhage, and  the  General  Management  of  Childbirth,  Nursing,  etc.,  etc.  With  Numerous 
Cases  of  Treatment.  By  Joel  Shew,  M.  D.  12mo.  432  pp.  Muslin,  $1.25. 

A valuable  work,  and  one  which  should  be  in  the  hands  of  every  married  woman. 

Milk-Trade,  in  New  York  and  Yicinity.  Giving  an  Account 

of  the  Sale  of  Pure  and  Adulterated  Milk  ; the  Daily  and  Yearly  Consumption  ; the  Amount 
of  Property  Invested  in  the  Business  ; the  Milk  Dealers  and  Dairymen  of  Orange  and  other 
Counties  ; Injurious  Effects  of  Impure  Milk  on  Children  ; Advice  to  Country  Dairymen.  By 
John  Mullaly.  With  an  Introduction  by  R.  T.  Trail,  M.  D.  12mo.  118  pp.  Price,  30  els. 

Parents’  Guide  for  the  Transmission  of  Desired  Qualities  to 

Offspring,  and  Childbirth  made  Easy.  By  Mrs.  Hester  Pendleton . 12mo.  212  pp.  Paper,  60  cts. 
Another  valuable  work  for  mothers. 

Philosophy  of  the  Water-Cure.  A Development  of  the 

True  Principles  of  Health  and  Longevity.  By  John  Balbircie,  M.  D.  With  a Letter  from 
Sir  Edward  Lytton  Bulwer.  From  the  Second  London  Edition . 12mo.  144  pp.  Price,  30  cts. 

A good  work  for  those  commencing  the  practice  of  Hydropathy. 


Fowlers  and  Wells’  Publications, 


T 


Pregnancy  and  Childbirth.  Illustrated  with  Cases,  showing 

the  Remarkable  Effects  of  Water  in  Mitigating  the  Pains  and  Perils  of  the  Parturient  State. 
By  Joel  Shew,  M.  D.  12mo.  124  pp.  Price,  30  cents. 

Principles  of  Hydropathy ; or,  the  Invalid’s  Guide  to  Health 

and  Happiness.  By  David  A.  Harsha.  12mo.  48  pp.  Price,  15  cents. 

Practice  of  Water-Cure.  With  Authenticated  Evidence  of 

its  Efficacy  and  Safety.  Containing  a Detailed  Account  of  the  Various  Processes  used  in 
tire  Water  Treatment,  etc.  By  James  Wilson,  M.  D.,  and  James  M.  Gully,  M.  D.  12mo. 
144  pp.  Price,  30  cts. 

Science  of  Swimming.  Giving  a History  of  Swimming, 

and  Instructions  to  Learners.  By  an  Experienced  Swimmer.  16mo.  36  pp.  Price,  15  cts. 
Every  boy  in  the  nation  should  have  a copy,  and  learn  to  swim.  Illustrated  with  Engravings. 

W ater-Cure  Library.  In  Seven  12mo  V olumes.  Embracing : 

Vol.  I.  Hydropathy;  or,  The  Water-Cure.  Vol.  II.  Introduction  to  the  Water-Cure  ; Ex- 
perience in  Water-Cure ; Parents’  Guide,  and  Childbirth  made  Easy.  Vol.  HI.  Hydropathy 
for  the  People  ; Curiosities  of  Common  Water.  Vol.  IV.  Water-Cure  Manual  ; Cholera. 
Vol.  V.  Water  and  Vegetable  Diet ; Tobacco,  its  ESects  on  Body  and  Mind.  Vol.  VI.  Water- 
Cure  in  every  known  Disease  ; Errors  of  Physicians  and  Others  in  the  Practice  of  Water- 
Cure.  Vol.  VHI., Consumption,  its  Causes,  Prevention,  and  Cure  ; Water-Cure  in  Pregnancy 
and  Childbirth.  Bound  in  Embossed  Muslin.  Price  only  $6.00. 

This  Library  comprises  all  the  most  important  works  on  the  subject  of  Hydropathy.  The  volumes  are  of  uniform 
size  and  binding,  and  the  whole  form  a most  valuable  medical  library  for  the  family. 

Water-Cure  in  America.  Over  Three  Hundred  Cases  of 

Various  Diseases  Treated  with  Water  by  Drs.  Wesselhoeft,  Shew,  Bedortha,  Shieferdecker, 
Trail,  Nichols,  and  Others.  With  Cases  of  Domestic  Practice.  Designed  for  Popular  as 
well  as  Professional  Reading.  Edited  by  a Water  Patient.  12mo.  380  pp.  Muslin,  $1.25. 


Water  and  Vegetable  Diet  in  Consumption,  Scrofula,  Cancer, 

Asthma,  and  other  Chronic  Diseases.  In  which  the  Advantages  of  Pure  and  Soft  Water 
over  that  which  is  Hard,  are  particularly  Considered.  By  William  Lambe,  M.  D.  With  Notes 
and  Additions  by  Joel  Shew,  M.  D.  12mo.  258  pp.  Paper,  62  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 


Water-Cure  Applied  to  every  known  Disease.  A Complete 

Demonstration  of  the  Advantages  of  the  Hydropathic  System  of  Curing  Diseases  ; show- 
ing also  the  fallacy  of  the  Medicinal  Method,  and  its  Utter  Inability  to  Effect  a Permanent 
Cure.  With  an  Appendix,  containing  a Water  Diet,  and  Rules  for  Bathing.  By  J.  H.  Rausse. 
12mo.  272  pp.  Paper,  62  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 

Water-Cure  Manual.  A Popular  Work,  Embracing  Descrip- 
tions of  the  Various  Modes  of  Bathing,  the  Hygienic  and  Curative  Effects  of  Air,  Exercise, 
Clothing,  Occupation,  Diet,  Water-Drinking,  etc.  Together  with  Descriptions  of  Diseases, 
and  the  Hydropathic  Means  to  be  Employed  therein.  By  Joel  Shew,  M.  D.  12mo.  282 
pp.  Paper,  62  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 

V^ater-Cure  Almanac  ; An  Annual,  containing  muck  Impor- 
tant and  Valuable  Matter  relative  to  the  Water-Cure  System.  Illustrated  with  Numerous 
Engravings.  Every  individual  should  have  a copy.  -48  pp.  Price,  6 cts. 

Water-Cure  Journal,  and  Herald  of  Reforms.  Devoted  to 

Physiology,  Hydropathy,  and  the  Laws  of  Life.  Illustrated  with  Numerous  Engravings. 
Quarto.  288  pp.  a Year.  Published  Monthly,  at  $1.00  a Year. 

The  Water-Cure  Journal  holds  a high  rank  in  the  science  of  health ; always  ready,  straightforward,  and  plain- 
spoken,  it  unfolds  the  law  of  our  physical  nature,  without  any  pretensions  to  the  technicalities  of  science,  but  in  a 
form  as  attractive  and  refreshing  as  the  sparkling  element  of  which  it  treats.  We  know  of  no  American  periodical 
which  presents  a greater  abundance  of  valuable  information  on  all  subjects  relating  to  human  progress  ana  welfare. 
— [N.  Y.  Tribune. 

This  is,  unquestionably,  the  most  popular  health  Journal  in  the  world. — [N.  Y.  Evening  Post. 

Every  man,  woman,  and  child,  wlio  loves  health,  who  desires  happiness,  its  direct  result,  who  wants  to  “ live 
while  he  does  live,”  *'  live  till  he  dies,”  and  really  live,  instead  of  being  a mere  walking  corpse,  should  become  at 
once  a reader  of  this  Journal,  and  practise  its  precepts. — [Fountain  Journal. 


8 


Fowlers  and  Wells’  Publications. 


WHgxU  011  |]()pt0l0g0. 

Amativeness  ; or,  Evils  and  Remedies  of  Excessive  and  Per- 
verted Sexuality,  including  Warning  and  Advice  to  the  Married  and  Single.  By  0.  S. 
Fowler.  12mo.  48  pp.  Price  15  cts. 


Combe  on  Infancy ; or,  tlie  Physiological  and  Moral  Manage- 
ment of  Children.  By  Andrew  Combe,  M.  D.  12mo.  307  pp.  With  Illustrations.  A valua- 
ble work  for  Parents.  Paper,  62  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 


Combe’s  Physiology.  Applied  to  the  Preservation  of  Health, 

and  to  the  Improvement  of  Physical  and  Mental  Education.  By  Andrew  Combe,  M.  D.  With 
Notes  and  Observations  by  0.  S.  Fowler.  Octavo.  320  pp.  Paper,  62  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 

Dr.  Combe  has  done  more  to  spread  abroad  a knowledge  of  this  most  useful  science  than  any  other  author  we 
can  name.— [Christian  Intelligencer,  N.  Y. 


Chronic  Diseases ; Especially  the  Nervous  Diseases  of 

Women.  By  D.  Rosch.  Translated  from  the  German  by  Charles  Dummig.  An  important 
work  for  the  Married  of  both  sexes.  12mo.  61  pp.  Paper,  30  cts. 


Digestion,  Physiology  of.  Considered  with  Relation  to  the 

Principles  of  Dietetics.  By  Andrew  Combe,  M.  D.  Illustrated  with  Engravings.  18mo. 
810  pp.  Paper,  30  cts. 


Food  and  Diet.  With  Observations  on  the  Dietetic  Regimen 

suited  for  Disordered  States  of  the  Digestive  Organs  ; and  an  account  of  the  Dietaries  of 
some  of  the  Principal  Metropolitan  and  other  Establishments  for  Paupers,  Lunatics,  Crimi- 
nals, Children,  the  Sick,  &c.  By  Jonathan  Pereira,  M.  D.,  F.  R.  S.  Edited  by  Charles  A. 
Lee,  M.  D.  Octavo.  318  pp.  Paper,  87  cts.  ; Muslin,  $1.25. 

Generation,  Philosophy  of.  Its  Abuses,  with  their  Causes, 

Prevention  and  Cure.  By  John  B.  Newman,  M.  D.  12mo.  118  pp.  Paper,  30  cts. 

Hereditary  Descent : Its  Laws  and  Facts  Applied  to  Human 

Improvement.  By  0.  S.  Fowler.  12mo.  288  pp.  Paper,  62  cts.;  Muslin,  87  cts. 

Maternity  ; or,  The  Bearing  and  Nursing  of  Children.  In- 
cluding Female  Education  and  Beauty.  By  0.  S.  Fowler.  12mo.  With  Engraved  Illustra- 
tions. 221  pp.  Paper,  62  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 

Natural  Laws  of  Man.  A Philosophical  Catechism.  By  J. 

G.  Spurzheim,  M.  D.  An  important  work.  18mo.  171  pp.  Paper,  30  cts. 

Natural  History  of  Man.  Showing  his  Three  Aspects  of 

Plant,  Beast  and  Angel.  Plant  Life,  comprising  the  Nutritive  Apparatus.  Beast  Life,  o 
Soul,  the  Phrenological  Faculties.  Angel  Life,  or  Spirit,  Jehovah’s  Likeness  in  Man.  By 
John  B.  Newman,  M.  D.  With  Engravings.  12mo,  295  pp.  Paper,  62  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 

Organic  Laws ; or,  The  Laws  which  Govern  the  Human  Or- 

ganism. By  J.  Bradford  Sax.  12mo.  261pp. 

In  this  work  the  author  tells  us  of  the  physical  laws  which  govern  us,  what  and  when  we  should  eat  and  drink, 
and  how  to  live  and  obey  those  laws,  that  health  may  be  enjoyed. 

Physiology,  Animal  and  Mental'.  Applied  to  the  Preserva- 
tion and  Restoration  of  Health  of  Body  and  Power  of  Mind.  By  O.  S.  Fowler.  Illustrated 
with  Engravings.  12mo.  312  pp.  Paper,  62  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 


Fowlers  and  Wells’  Publications. 


Reproductive  Organs,  Hints  on  the.  Their  Diseases,  Causes, 

and  Cure  on  Hydropathic  Principles.  By  James  C.  Jackson.  12mo.  48  pp.  Paper,  15  cts. 

Sexual  Diseases ; Their  Causes,  Prevention,  and  Cure,  on 

Physiological  Principles.  Embracing  : Home  Treatment  for  Sexual  Abuses  ; Chronic  Dis- 
eases, Especially  the  Nervous  Diseases  of  Women  ; The  Philosophy  of  Generation  ; Ama- 
tiveness ; Hints  on  the  Reproductive  Organs.  In  One  Vol.  12mo.  417  pp.  Muslin,  $1.25. 

Sober  and  Temperate  Life.  The  Discourses  and  Letters  of 

Louis  Cornaro.  With  a Biography  of  the  Author.  By  Piero  Maroncelli.  With  Notes,  and 
an  Appendix  by  John  Burdell.  18mo.  228  pp.  Paper,  30  cts. 

Twenty-five  thousand  copies  of  this  excellent  work  have  been  sold.  It  is  translated  into  several  languages. 

Tobacco : Its  History,  Nature,  and  Effects  on  the  Body  and 

Mind.  With  the  Opinions  of  Rev.  Dr.  Nott,  L.  N.  Fowler,  Rev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  Hon. 
Horace  Greeley,  Dr.  Jennings,  0.  S»  Fowler,  Dr.  R.  T.  Trail,  and  Others.  By  Joel  Shew, 
M.  D.  12mo.  116  pp.  Paper,  30  cts. 

Every  person  should  read  this  useful  work,— then  banish  tobacco  in  all  its  forms, — smoking,  chewing,  or  snuffing. 

Teeth : Their  Structure,  Disease,  and  Treatment.  With 

numerous  Illustrations.  By  John  Burdell.  12mo.  72  pp.  Paper,  15  cts. 

Tobacco : Its  Use  and  Abuse.  By  John  Burdell.  12mo. 

24  pp.  6 cts.  With  Illustrations. 

Tea  and  Coffee.  Their  Physical,  Intellectual,  and  Moral 

Effects  on  the  Human  System.  By  Dr.  William  A.  Alcott.  18mo.  99  pp.  Paper,  15  cts. 

Use  of  Tobacco ; Its  Physical,  Intellectual,  and  Moral  Effects 

on  the  Human  System.  By  Dr.  William  A.  Alcott.  18mo.  88  pp.  Paper,  15  cts. 

Yegetable  Diet;  as  Sanctioned  by  Medical  Men,  and  by 

Experience  in  all  Ages.  Including  a System  of  Vegetable  Cookery.  By  Dr.  William  A.  Alcott. 
12mo.  312  pp.  Paper,  62  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 


Biology  ; or,  The  Principles  of  the  Human  Mind.  Deduced 

from  Physical  Laws.  With  a Lecture  on  the  Voltaic  Mechanism  of  Man.  By  Alfred  Smee, 
F.  R.  S.  12mo.  64  pp.  Illustrated.  Price,  30  cts. 

Electrical  Psychology,  Philosophy  of.  In  a Course  of  Twelve 

Lectures.  By  John  Bovee  Dods.  12mo.  252  pp.  Paper,  62  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 


Elements  of  Animal  Magnetism  ; or,  Process  and  Applica- 

tion for  Relieving  Human  suffering.  By  Charles  Morley.  12mo.  24  pp.  Price,  15  cts. 


Fascination  ; or.  The  Philosophy  of  Charming.  Illustrating 

the  Principles  of  Life  in  connection  vv'ith  Spirit  and  Matter.  By  John  B.  Newman,  M.  D. 
i2mo.  176  pp.  Paper,  15  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 

Mental  Alchemy.  A Treatise  on  the  Mind,  Nervous  Sys- 
tem, Psychology,  Magnetism,  Mesmerism,  and  Diseases.  By  B.  Brown  Williams,  M.  D. 
12mn.  180  pp.  Price  62  cts. 


10 


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Macrocosm  and  Microcosm ; or,  The  Universe  Without  and 

the  Universe  Within.  Being  an  Unfolding  of  the  Plan  of  Creation,  and  the  Correspondence 
of  Truths,  both  in  the  World  of  Sense  and  the  World  of  Soul.  In  Two  Parts.  By  William 
Fishbough.  12mo.  259  pp.  Paper,  62  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 

It  is  written  with  unquestionable  ability,  and  by  a thinker  and  student. — [Boston  Transcript . 

Philosophy  of  Mesmerism.  Six  Lectures.  With  an  Intro- 

duction. By  J.  Bovee  Dods.  12mo.  82  pp.  Paper,  30  cts. 

Psychology  ; or,  the  Science  of  the  Soul.  Considered  Phy- 
siologically and  Philosophically.  With  an  Appendix  containing  Notes  of  Mesmeric  and 
Psychical  Experience.  By  Josenh  Haddock,  M.  D.  With  Engravings  of  the  Nervous  Sys- 
tem. 12mo.  112  pp.  Price,  30  cts. 

Spiritual  Intercourse,  Philosophy  of.  Being  an  Explanation 

of  Modern  Mysteries.  By  Andrew  Jackson  Davis.  Octavo.  176  pp.  Price,  62  cts. 

Supernal  Theology,  and  Life  in  the  Sphere.  Deduced  from 

Alleged  Spiritual  Manifestations.  By  Owen  G.  Warren.  Octavo.  112  pp.  Price,  30  cts. 

Among  the  many  publications  on  the  subject  of  spiritual  manifestations  this  is  one  of  the  most  entertaining. 

[Boston  Commonwealth. 


fttiKdlauMHS* 


Botany  for  all  Classes.  Containing  a Floral  Dictionary,  and 

a Glossary  of  Scientific  Terms.  Illustrated  with  numerous,  beautiful,  and  appropriate  En- 
gravings. By  John  B.  Newman,  M.  D.  12mo.  226  pp.  Paper,  62  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 

In  this  work  the  subject  is  presented  in  a series  of  interesting  conversations. 

Chemistry,  and  its  Applications  to  Physiology,  Agriculture, 

and  Commerce.  By  Justus  Liebig,  M.  D.,  F.  R.  S.  Octavo.  54  pp.  Price,  25  cts. 

Delia’s  Doctors;  or,  A dance  Behind  the  Scenes.  By 

Hannah  Gardner  Creamer.  12mo.  262  pp.  Paper,  62  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 

Intended  to  show  the  folly  of  going  to  physicians  for  every  ailment,  instead  of  consulting  the  laws  of  nature,  and 
obeying  them.  Full  of  important  suggestions  to  invalids. 

Essay  on  Wages,  Discussing  the  Means  now  Employed  for 

Upholding  them,  and  showing  the  Necessity  of  a Working  Man’s  Tariff,  founded  on  the 
Principle  of  Graduating  Import  Duties,  in  Inverse  Proportion  to  the  Rate  of  Wages  Paid  in 
the  Manufacture  of  the  Imported  Goods.  By  Philip  C.  Friese.  12mo.  35  pp.  Price,  15  cts 

Familiar  Lessons  on  Astronomy ; Designed  for  the  Use  of 

Children  and  Youth  in  Schools  and  Families.  By  Mrs.  L.  N.  Fowler.  With  Illustrations. 
12mo.  165  pp.  Paper,  62  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 

Future  of  Nations : In  what  Consists  its  Security.  A Lec- 
ture Delivered  in  the  Broadway  Tabernacle,  New  York,  on  Monday  Evening,  June  21, 1852. 
By  Louis  Kossuth.  With  a Likeness.  12mo.  44  pp.  Price,  12  cts. 

Hints  Toward  Reforms : In  Lectures,  Addresses,  and  other 

Writings.  Together  with  the  Crystal  Palace,  and  its  Lessons.  By  Horace  Greeley.  12mo. 
425  pp.  Muslin,  $1.25. 

Horace  Greeley  is  about  as  well  known  in  the  United  States  as  Dr.  Franklin.  In  the  puiity,  simplicity,  and 
straightforwardness  of  his  style,  no  writer  of  this  age  is  his  superior. — [N.  Y:  Independent. 

No  man  or  woman  who  has  an  interest  in  this  world  should  be  without  this  work.  Greeley  always  gives  us  a 
clear,  common-sense  view  of  things,  in  strong,  brief,  and  frequently  eloquent  language.  He  is  himself  in  this  book. 
It  is  full  of  the  spirit  of  life.  If  you  are  a reformer,  read  it.  If  you  need  reforming,  read  it. — [Williamaburgh 
Times. 


Fowlkes  and  Wells’  Publications. 


11 


Hopes  and  Helps  for  the  Young  of  Both  Sexes.  Relating 

to  the  Formation  of  Character,  Choice  of  Avocation,  Health,  Amusement,  Music,  Conver- 
sation, Cultivation  of  Intellect,  Moral  Sentiment,  Social  Affection,  Courtship  and  Marriage. 
By  Rev.  G.  S.  Weaver.-  12mo.  246  pp.  Paper,  62  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 

Every  parent  should  place  this  book  in  the  hands  of  his  children.  Every  youth  who  reads  it  will  feel  inspired 
with  new  resolutions  for  a nobler  and  purer  life,  be  his  occupation  what  it  may. 

Human  Rights,  and  their  Political  Guaranties.  Essays.  By 

E.  P.  Hurlbut.  With  Notes  by  Geo.  Combe.  12mo.  249  pp.  Paper,  62  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 

Home  For  All.  New,  Cheap,  Convenient,  and  Superior 

Mode  of  Building,  containing  full  Directions  for  Constructing  Gravel  Walls.  12  mo.  pp. 
Paper,  62  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts.  New  Edition,  Revised,  with  Additions. 

Immortality  Triumphant.  The  Existence  of  a God,  and 

Human  Immortality,  Practically  Considered,  and  the  Truth  of  Divine  Revelation  Substan- 
tiated. By  John  Bovee  Dods.  12mo.  216  pp.  Paper,  62  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 

The  talented  author  has  opened  a new  and  beautiful  field,  rich  in  thought,  and  of  vast  importance  to  the  theolo- 
gian, and  placed  within  the  reach  of  the  Christian  world  at  large,  an  immense  mass  of  materials,  and  in  a condensed 
form,  by  which  any  one  of  ordinary  capacity  may  briefly  and  successfully  meet  the  arguments  of  the  Atheist  and 
Deist. — [Ithaca  Chronicle. 

Innovation,  Entitled  to  a Full  and  Candid  Hearing.  By  John 

Patterson.  12mo.  64  pp.  Price,  15  cts. 

Literature  and  Art.  By  S.  Margaret  Fuller.  Two  Parts  in 

One  Volume.  Containing  : A Short  Essay  on  Critics  ; A Dialogue  ; The  Two  Herberts  ; Prose 
Works  of  Milton,  with  a Biographical  Introduction  ; Life  of  Sir  James  Mackintosh  ; Modern 
British  Poets  ; Modern  Drama  ; Dialogue,  containing  Sundry  Glosses  on  Poetic  Texts  ; Poet3 
of  the  People  ; Miss  Barrett’s  Poems  ; Lives  of  Haydn,  Mozart,  Handel,  Bach,  Beethoven  ; 
Record  of  Impressions  Produced  by  Mr.  Allston's  Pictures  ; American  Literature  ; Sweden- 
borgianism  ; Methodism  at  the  Fountain  ; The  Tragedy  of  Witchcraft.  With  an  Introduction 
by  Horace  Greeley.  12mo.  347  pp.  Muslin,  $1.25. 

No  woman  in  America  has  ever  equalled  her  for  bold,  vigorous,  original  thoughts.  Literature  and  Art  contain 
some  of  her  productions,  of  the  greatest  merit  and  interest. — [Wyoming  Mirror. 

Labor;  Its  History  and  Prospects.  By  Robert  Dale  Owen. 

An  Address  Delivered  before  the  Young  Men’s  Mercantile  Association  of  Cincinnati.  12mo. 
76  pp.  Paper,  30  cts. 

Power  of  Kindness  ; Inculcating  the  Principles  of  Benevo- 

lence and  Love.  By  Charles  Morley.  12mo.  72  pp.  Paper,  30  cts.  ; Muslin,  50  cts. 

Population,  Theory  of.  Deduced  from  the  General  Law  of 

Animal  Fertility.  Republished  from  the  Westminster  Review.  With  an  Introduction  by  R. 
T.  Trail,  M.  D.  Price,  15  cts. 

Temperance  Reformation ; Its  History,  from  the  Organiza- 
tion of  the  first  Temperance  Society,  to  the  adoption  of  the  Liquor  Law  of  Maine,  1851  ; 
and  the  Consequent  Influence  of  the  Promulgation  of  that  Law  on  the  Political  Interest  of  the 
State  of  New  Yo-  k,  1852.  By  Rev.  Le  t beus  Armstrong.  New  Edition.  Enlarged.  With  a 
Portrait  of  the  Author.  12mo.  465  pp  Muslin,  $1.25. 

A much  more  clever  book  than  the  title  would  lead  one  to  expect.  It  is  full  of  historic  reminiscences,  anecdotes, 
and  information,  spicily  served  up. — [N.  Y.  Mirror. 

The  Student : A Family  Miscellany,  and  Monthly  School- 

Reader.  Devoted  to  Physical,  Moral,  and  Intellectual  Improvement.  Edited  by  N.  A. 
Calkins.  Monthly.  Octavo.  32  pp.  384  pp.  a Year.  $1.00. 

Thk  Plan  of  the  Student  is  Original  : having  a department  for  the  older  members  of  the  family,  one  for  the 
TOUTH,  and  another  for  children,  and  another  for  parents  and  teachers.  It  contains  history,  biography , travels, 
science,  &c.,  with  numerous  illustrations.  In  short,  it  is  a Historian,  an  Orator,  a Botanist,  a Chemist,  a Geologist, 
an  Astronomer,  a Philosopher,  a Physiologist,  a Poet,  a Teacher,  a Story-Teller,  and  is  just  the  work  for  Girls  and 
Boys,  young  Men  and  young  Women,  Parents  and  Teachers. 

Woman : Her  Education  and  Influence.  By  Mrs.  Hugo 

Reid.  With  an  Introdnction  by  Mrs.  C.  M.  Kirkland.  With  Portraits  of  Several  Distinguished 
Women.  12mo.  192  pp.  Paper,  50  cts.  ; Muslin,  87  cts. 


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Fowlers  and  Wells  Publish  the  following  Popular  and 

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Communications,  New  Books  for  notice  or  Review,  Advertisements,  and 
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The  Illustrated  Phrenological  Journal.  A Repository  of  Science, 

Literature,  and  General  Intelligence  ; Devoted  to  Phrenology,  Education,  Biography,  Mechan- 
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which  are  calculated  to  Reform,  Elevate,  and  Improve  Mankind.  Published  Monthly  in 
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The  Water-Cure  J ournal,  and  Herald  of  Reforms.  A Popular  Work, 

devoted  to  Hydropathy,  Physiology,  and  the  Laws  of  Life  and  Health.  Illustrated  with 
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familiar  Instruction  to  learners.  It  is  emphatically  a Journal  of  Health,  designed  to  be  a 
complete  Family  Guide,  in  all  cases,  and  in  all  diseases.  Terms  and  size  the  same. 

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The  Universal  Phonographer  : Devoted  to  the  Dissemination  of 

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The  Student  : An  Illustrated  Magazine,  devoted  to  Physical  Moral 

and  Intellectual  Improvement,  and  to  Education,  in  the  Family,  the  Field,  the  School  and 
the  Shop.  Thirty -two  Royal  Octavo  Pages,  Published  Monthly  at  One  Dollar  a Year. 

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Musician,  and  is  just  the  work  for  Girls  and  Boys,  young  Men  and  young  Women,  Parents  and  Teachers. 

A limited  space,  in  these  Periodicals  will  be  devoted  to  Advertisements. 
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